Jesus Can Console You

Tuesday of the 2nd week of Advent 

Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 95(96):1-3,10-13
Matthew 18:12-14

Console my people, console them, declares the Lord (Isaiah 40:1). The solace experienced by Jerusalem serves as a universal comfort. The relief one individual finds can often benefit another, akin to how a well becomes a resource for those who arrive later. While a pilgrim may excavate a well for personal use, its utility extends to others who follow, illustrating the communal aspect of spiritual sustenance.

This concept is echoed in the Psalms, particularly in the opening of Psalm 43:5: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? … Hope in God; I will praise Him still, my Savior and my God.” The image of pilgrims digging wells is worth noting; paradoxically, these wells fill from above rather than from below. Though we engage in the means—our endeavors or rituals—the actual blessings originate from divine intervention.

While human effort is significant, it does not replace the necessity of heavenly support. We find our consolation in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who selflessly offers His grace abundantly and seeks to reclaim the lost.

Grace can be analogized to rain—its purity, revitalizing effect, and its exclusive origin from above signify the divine nature of this gift. The dispensing of grace is sovereign and may be granted or withheld at will. We seek comfort from the Good Shepherd, with hopes for torrents of blessing, as we rely on the wells of wisdom dug by the Saints in their sacrifices—may they be filled with sustenance!

What value do religious ordinances hold in the absence of divine favor? They become like clouds devoid of rain or pools that lack water. We beseech the God of love to open the heavens and bestow manifold blessings upon us!

The Lord underwent Baptism not for His purification, but to sanctify the waters, ensuring that these waters, cleansed by Christ’s sinless flesh, would possess transformative power in the sacraments of Baptism.

May you approach with this divine power. Let us maintain our patience amid the tangible blessings that surround us. May God’s grace advocate on your behalf, and may the intercession of St. Ambrose, who played a pivotal role in the conversion of St. Augustine and supported St. Monica, be with you. May God bless and fortify you always. Amen.

Fr Joseph Osho