“Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God!” Isaiah 40:9

When was the last time you wholly and completely cried out with all your heart? Do you even have a truth of such importance that could lead you to cry out with great conviction? In today’s first reading found in Isaiah, it states, “Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God!”

Quite often in the world of political correctness and subjectivity, we are blinded from what is true. Isaiah demonstrates a certain conviction and passion which cannot be stopped, cannot be hindered, and can never be despised. In this time of Advent, we are preparing to again remind ourselves of our reception of the greatest gift of all: Christ Himself. Christ calls us out of our complacency and instills in us a passion and desire for Him that is unlocked through our baptism. Our key to love and passion fits in Christ, the keyhole. Being people of proclamation, we must internalize the truth which is Christ and cast aside fear and anxiety. Only then will we recognize our true purpose for living.

As the late Pope John Paul II proclaimed, “Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places like the first apostles, who preached Christ and the good news of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel.” We must respond just as Isaiah did and proclaim with conviction that Jesus is Lord of all. In this action, we are giving glory to our Creator and humbling ourselves as we set aside our pleasures, comfort, societal stereotypes, and reservations and give wholly to Christ, the source of our love and passion. With “glad tidings” and loud voices, we demonstrate the importance of our faith. If our faith remains central in our lives, we will not be able to remain silent or delay. We will be invigorated to proclaim what is internal. The word of God begins in our hearts and invigorates us to proclaim without fear, “Here is your God!”