29 November 2021
Monday of the First Week of Advent
There were certain feasts in ancient Israel when those who did not live in Jerusalem would travel and make pilgrimage to worship the Lord in the holy city, and would have the special joy of being close to the Temple from which they were often so distant. In order to give words to their growing joy, they would sing the psalms of David as they were on the road headed up towards Jerusalem. These psalms, known as the Gradual Psalms or the Psalms of ascent, have been especially cherished by the Church and it is one of those psalms with which we hit the ground running here in this first week of Advent. In this psalm we hear of the joy of reaching the holy city, the peace which comes from true unity between the People and the Lord, and the continued movement of further people coming to enter into this joy and peace. All of this causes the psalmist to rejoice at the simple invitation “Let us go up to the House of the Lord!”
Isaiah, who is the prophet who accompanies the Church throughout Advent, describes a vision from God which expands the sight of the psalmist to include all peoples coming to the Temple mount in Jerusalem. In a way that beautifully parallels the covenantal encounter between the freed children of Israel and God at Mt Sinai, the prophet describes the eagerness of all the peoples to climb the Mountain of the Lord for the particular purpose of receiving instruction, of being taught the Lord’s ways. What is the result of these divine lessons? Blessed peace and unity, now going out from Jerusalem out to the nations: “One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!”
As we contemplate this peace and unity which the Lord brings, let us approach Christ as did the centurion, with faith. Even as we repeat his words, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word…”, let us go up to the Lord’s house, let enter under His roof, let us go up into His Presence, especially in the Eucharist, and so learn how He desires to come to us, and to have His peace and His joy begin to bring about greater unity in the world, setting up His dwelling in the Jerusalem of our hearts and families, and then spreading out to our neighbors and our world.