“Our God will come to save us!”
Today’s readings are laced with images of healing, of restoration, of deserts giving way to water and to life and of God helping his people get up and walk for their journey toward him.
In Isaiah, God’s vindication will bring knees that are firm, the lame to leap like stags, and hearts and bodies will be straightened up in preparation for their journey toward the Lord’s dwelling. “A highway will be there, called the holy way, no one unclean may pass over it…it is for those with a journey to make, and on it the redeemed will walk.” Yes, God’s healing is geared toward activity, toward the journey back to him in heaven. God’s Incarnation and the inbreaking of his vindication doesn’t end our journey, but it empowers in us the ability to walk the road of our salvation. God comes to unparalyze us – always in our heart, and sometimes in our bodies. Jesus comes to set us upon this “holy highway” back to God, it is the “holy highway” of his Cross and Resurrection. It is on this road that we await and long for our arrival at God’s dwelling. God didn’t just empower us to walk this holy road, but he gave us himself as food for this journey in the Eucharist. Unlike the man in the gospel, we do not need to be lowered down to meet Jesus, rather, he is lowered down at the Mass to meet us, to keep healing us and keep empowering us to walk upon the holy road toward heaven. Let us pray for the strength in our lives to keep walking toward the Lord.