Comfort

Comfort, give comfort to my people says your God.

From our first reading today.

God’s command to Isaiah.

And to me.

And to you.

So, I’ll give it a try.

My job is much easier than Isaiah’s.

All I have to do is point to today’s Gospel.

Surely this is one of the most comforting passages we can find in all of Scripture.

Jesus—God himself—telling us that God will work at rescuing his lost sheep.

He’ll go to great lengths.

In this Advent Season we especially note just how far he’ll go.

So far as to come and be one of us.

To walk among us.

To dwell within us.

He’ll focus his attention on recovering each stray sheep.

And he’ll rejoice greatly when he brings it back.

Today’s Gospel passage is like the story of the prodigal son, in a hundred words or less.

We’ve all been that stray sheep, that prodigal son or daughter, at one time or another.

Maybe more than once.

And we may well be again.

We all have loved ones who are lost sheep.

We could find some comfort in knowing

that God might grudgingly allow us back into his fold.

But we’re given far greater comfort than that.

Jesus tells us God will actively seek us out and rejoice at our return.

And the good news just keeps getting better—

He does not want even one of us to be lost.

Today’s short passage alone is enough to earn the title Good News for Matthew’s book.

We’d be hard-pressed to find better, more comforting news.

Tuesday 2nd Week of Advent

Mt 18:12-14                                   Read this Scripture @usccb.org