“FIRST IMPRESSIONS”
2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B) DECEMBER 6, 2026
Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85; 2 Peter 3: 8-14; Mark 1: 1-8
By Jude Siciliano, OP
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If we are not regular readers of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament), today's first reading from the prophet Isaiah would be a good place to begin – or to renew our commitment to God's Word. I cannot imagine a more tender or reassuring passage for reflection than the reading from Isaiah for this Second Sunday of Advent. I don't think it takes much effort to identify with those to whom the prophet was first writing.
His first readers were people experiencing suffering. They had been separated from their homeland. Their questions were very much like the ones we ask when life becomes difficult: "Where is God now, when I am experiencing so much pain? Has God forgotten me? Have I done something to offend God and am now being punished?"
The opening words of the reading offer consolation when times are difficult: "Comfort, give comfort to my people."
What may surprise us is that God does not do what we might expect. God does not begin by criticizing the people for their failures or reminding them of their sins. Instead, through the prophet, God speaks tenderly to them, offering comfort, reassurance, and hope. God wants them to know that their suffering will not have the final word. A new beginning is possible. These are reassuring and trustworthy words, especially when we cannot see how such a new beginning could come about with our limited resources.
The reading is not addressed only to us as individuals; it also speaks to us as members of our parish community. We know what it means to experience difficult moments. Even if we are not experiencing them ourselves, surely we know someone who is burdened by illness, grief, family difficulties, financial worries, loneliness, or uncertainty about the future. Entire communities of immigrants, people who are homeless, and those experiencing civic unrest know these struggles all too well.
Others struggle with disappointment in their personal lives or even in the Church itself. Can we blame them for wondering where God is? We are an Advent people, waiting for God to come to our rescue – or at least to strengthen us in our trials – as we struggle to keep hope alive.
We reach out with open hands to take Isaiah's words into our troubled hearts and anxious minds. The prophet assures us that God can lift the valleys of discouragement, bring down the mountains of pride and selfishness, and smooth the rough roads of resentment and division. This is more than a poetic image of a landscape being transformed. It is an invitation to allow God to change our hearts and repair broken relationships.
Hear the prophet's announcement. Take it to heart and let it strengthen our resolve: "Here comes with power the Lord God!" Ours is a God with the power to accomplish what we cannot accomplish on our own. God is not a distant ruler demanding obedience through fear. Rather, God comes like a shepherd who sees that the sheep are hungry and feeds them, gathering them into tender arms, close to God's heart, and leading them gently to a place of safety and care. What a beautiful image of God's love! God's power is expressed through tenderness, compassion, and care. God does not abandon the weak, overlook the vulnerable, or forget those who are struggling. God draws especially close to those who need comfort and encouragement.
This also places a responsibility on us as a parish community. We must reflect the tenderness God has shown us and continues to show to all who are in need. We cannot simply receive God's comfort for ourselves and remain indifferent to the suffering of others. Each and every one of us is called to be an instrument of God's consolation, as Isaiah and Jesus teach us through their words and actions.
We visit the sick, accompany those who grieve, welcome strangers, forgive those who have hurt us, reach out to the lonely, and offer encouragement to those who have lost hope. That is what God has done for us, and that is what we are called to do for others. If we experience the comforting presence of God, then we must share that experience.
Our faith is not measured only by the prayers we recite and the rituals we perform. It is also measured by the compassion we show, the burdens we help carry, and the hope we bring into the lives of others. After all, we have entered the season of Advent, a time of hope not only for us but for all people.
The God who tenderly gathers lambs calls us to do the same for one another.
Happy Advent!
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings: