Robe of Righteousness

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, December 17th, 2023
​Third Sunday of Advent

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Isaiah
61.1-2a, 10-11

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my soul shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Have you ever wondered what a “robe of righteousness” would look like? It would probably be a modest-looking piece of clothing that caused the person wearing it to appear radiant. Oh! I guess I’m thinking of a beautiful yet humble wedding gown that makes the bride glow. It highlights and showcases her beauty while letting the world know that she belongs to, and is covered and concealed for all, save her bridegroom. 

Well, that is exactly why Jesus wants to cover us “with the robe of righteousness.” He simultaneously wants to protect us and display us. We, the Church, are His bride. He takes pride in every act of charity that we display, and He wants to sanctify us and set us aside to worship Him. God has created us for communion with Him, and every time we respond to His call to pray for another or reach out to another, He is looking at us as a bridegroom watches his bride walk down the aisle. We are precious in His eyes, and He has eyes only for us.

So what can we, as the Bride of Christ and the spouse of the Divine Bridegroom, do? Pray! Praying for someone is not the least we can do for them; it is our primary call to mission. It is our duty to pray for the people in our lives – the ones we know and love, the ones we find difficult to love, and the ones we hope to love in the future. There are a few people in my life who are completely clueless that I pray for them. However, I believe that, at this point in time, it is my responsibility to pray for them irrespective of what or if they think about me. 

Each one of us has the “spirit of the Lord” upon us by virtue of our faith and by means of our baptism. It is this Holy Spirit that guides and leads us to pray and intercede for one another. As messengers of Christ, we are obligated to bring “good news to the oppressed” and to “bind up the brokenhearted.” One of the easiest (and probably the most difficult) ways to do so is to listen attentively to others who reveal what is troubling or distressing them. We may not have a solution, but by giving them our time we are providing them an emotional “release” to their captivity. 

Without a doubt, we are adorned with the “garments of salvation” that Christ has gifted us, and we in turn can make a gift of ourselves by being available and approachable. As an extrovert, I realize that reaching out to others comes naturally to me, but I do believe that everyone one of us has been called to reach out. We could do this with an invitation, a kind word or two, a smile, or a simple prayer for someone (even without their knowledge). Let us never forget that Jesus Christ has clothed us with his “robe of righteousness,” and this robe looks even more radiant when we wear it while being a listening ear or a helping hand.

Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me to be a part of Your Church. Thank You for clothing me with the robe of righteousness through Your redeeming grace. Give me the courage I need to reach out to others even if it terrifies me. Help me to see You in all those whom I encounter and to trust that even those who hurt me are not beyond Your mercy. Help me to always pray for those I love and even for those I don’t. I ask all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

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Rebecca D'mello

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