These readings strike me as a perfect fit for the first week of Advent. The reading from Isaiah is not only prophetic to all who read it but inviting to me personally. Perhaps the beginning of the Advent season has put me in a more receptive mood than usual. As I await the coming of the Lord on Christmas the words of Isaiah call out. We are invited to “climb the Lord’s mountain” and “walk in his paths”. If we do this Isaiah paints a picture of what is possible. I often wonder whether this is an earthly or heavenly image. I ask myself the question “does it matter which it is?” We are all invited to begin the work of building of the Kingdom of God on earth. This points us towards attaining the Kingdom in death.

The psalm portrays a more earthly image. I draw hope from this that all will be well. I know that if we “go rejoicing to the house of the Lord,” peace and prosperity are in our grasp. I must also remind myself that this peace and prosperity are interior in nature. In Advent I’m waiting for the coming of the Lord and have no expectation other than being spiritually comforted. The psalm transitions to the Gospel reading. In the Gospel reading the centurion shows unyielding faith in the power of Jesus to heal. We know that as a result of this the servant is healed immediately. I find the other promise to those of faith that they will sit at “the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven” more compelling to me. So as the Advent Season begins, these readings give comfort in knowing that following the Lord I know I will be able to see his power work on earth and be finally fulfilled as we “eat at the banquet” in heaven.