Christlike, Childlike
Dec. 5: Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
Jesus came into the world as a baby, just as we all do. One reason was to tell us we’d all be sons and daughters of God, too.
I worked at an extremely expensive summer camp,1 and while all of the families were wealthy, none of the kids, especially the little ones, knew it. There was something admirable in that. God’s love for us does not depend upon our intelligence, importance, or status.
Reading 1
IS 11:1-10
On that day, A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.
On that day, The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.
We’re used to hearing about the Jesse tree, i.e. family tree. His descendants include great kings, from David through Jesus. Here, it’s not the tree of Jesse; it’s the stump of Jesse.
Not all of Israel’s kings were great. Some of them were pretty terrible, actually. But God works through imperfect vessels, and through all of them, one generation to the next, we eventually get to Mary and Joseph, and ultimately baby Jesus. He’s the child who will lead them, and the signal for all nations.
Responsorial Psalm
PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
This is originally a prayer for the king, that he’ll rule justly. It’s also a prayer for his son, who will inherit the kingdom, will continue that tradition.
But in the context of today’s readings, it plays more like a prediction. The Son will govern with justice, rescue the poor, and his name will be blessed forever. Naturally, that’s why it’s an appropriate psalm between today’s readings. However, one should be careful to not do this sort of thing willy-nilly. Any Bible verse can be taken out of context to prove any point you like.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
“Power” can mean a lot of different things. Jesus first came as a little child, with no earthly power to speak of.
Gospel
LK 10:21-24
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
We can see how all of today’s readings tie into being about children. Isaiah says a little child will guide them, and here, Jesus tells us to be childlike.
Children are ready to listen and learn.2 You can't go to God on your own, thinking you already know everything. You have to go through Jesus, who will reveal the Father to you. The kings alluded to by Isaiah and the psalmist were not able to see and hear what you can, thanks to Christ.
But because of these advantages, we have a responsibility, too. To be Christlike, and to bring Christ’s light to the world. Be the child to lead others to Jesus, and through Jesus to the Father.
When I couldn’t find a job after graduating college.
Usually.