Inner Peace

A Reflection on the First Reading for December 4th, 2022:
The Second Sunday of Advent

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Isaiah
11.1-10

​On that day:
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, 
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand
as a signal to the peoples;
the nations shall inquire of him,
and his dwelling shall be glorious.

He is coming. Isaiah said so – long before He ever came. And what hope He brings. As I initially read through this passage, it presented itself to me in chunks. 

In the first chunk, Isaiah prophesies what the Son has received from the Father: wisdom, might, knowledge.
In the second chunk, Isaiah tells us how the Son will receive mankind: with righteous judgement and equity.
In the third, we hear about the Son’s effect on the world: enemies become friends; danger becomes safety.
And last, a call to attention: to receive this peace we must orient ourselves to Him.

Isaiah really drives the point home when he describes the most dangerous predators gently coming alongside the most gentle and vulnerable species. As I pondered each relationship coming together, I squirmed a bit, and wondered, Is it even possible? 

I hear God saying to me, “How do you define danger in your life?” 
“What would your life look like if these dangers were to relent?” 

At first, I considered relationships like the ones Isaiah describes here, relationships that are exterior to me, interpersonal relationships, coming together in peace. He has done this in my life. This is God’s work. It can only be accomplished through the deliverance of His Son. This unsettling pairing up of predator with prey is a display of God’s power to reconcile, and it is a glimpse of the gentleness of His purpose.

But in deeper reflection of the question He poses to me, “How do you define danger in your life?” it would seem the danger I fear most is within me. It is when I see both the tenderness of the weaned child and the ruthlessness of the adder within me that this passage truly becomes personal. God, in His omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, makes peace between the forces within me. He joins together that which the enemy has separated. He brings light into the world so that all may see – not a shadow left to stow away in. 

But I must be still.

And when I am still, praying with Him, my anxious dog lies down beside me; my house lies quiet and safe. All the tension in my muscles softens. My mind is at ease. 

He quiets my inner wolf, leading her to be still beside the Lamb.

“As the waters cover the sea,” so shall Your peace be in my body. Thank you, Father.



​
Lori MacDonald

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