Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 19, 2021
Joy and the Prophets
Transient Gift
“The office of prophet was due to a direct call from God. It was not the result of heredity, just as it was not a permanent gift but a transient one, subject entirely to the divine will”. (Senior 877) Today joy surprises us from the depths of despair as a people lifts hope high . . . waiting for the coming of the Messiah.
Isaiah 14:7: The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they break forth into shouts of joy.
The world into which Jesus was born was not much different from our own when we consider that corruption, violence, turmoil and shame are countered by truth, love, healing and peace. Certainly in the twenty-first century a portion of us has access to instant global communication, the wonders of modern science and medicine, and the power to make choices about our individual and collective lives. Yet are we happier than the people of Jesus’ time? Are the poor less poor and the rich more compassionate? Do we care about and for one another more? Do we share the resources of God’s creation with one another?
Isaiah 14:7: The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they break forth into shouts of joy.
If we have not already explored how each of us fits into a global picture, we might take time to do so today. We might choose a topic such as poverty, water, food, basic human rights, the status of refugees around the world. We can use a search engine to look for maps or charts; or we might find an organization whose data we trust and see this information as a prophetic call to heal the world. If God speaks to us in such a way that we want to set into motion a healing action, we can visit www.change.org and step into the call we have heard. God gives us the power to become modern-day prophets, the power to lend our own words to a universal call of love, the power to take up this universal invitation to shout for joy at the Messiah’s coming.
Isaiah 14:7: The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they break forth into shouts of joy.
If God’s gift of prophecy is transient, its effects are infinite and everlasting. We step forward today in joyful 
acceptance and thanksgiving for this gift.
If this week’s Noontimes call you to search for more ways to encounter Joy or urge you to investigate the New Testament, click on the word Joy in the categories cloud in the blog’s right hand sidebar and choose a reflection, or enter those words in the blog search bar.
For more information about anxiety and joy, visit: http://riselikeair.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/anxiety-joy-a-journey/
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990. 877. Print.
Image from: http://www.crosscards.com/cards/holidays/christmas/isaiah-12-6-joy-christmas.html
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