The WORD, the SAINT and ADVENT - Second Wednesday
December 7, 2022: Celebrating St. AmbroseIsaiah 40: 25-31; Matthew 11: 28-30
Those who hope in the Lord will soar like the eagle, the Word underlines. Those who seek the Lord in their weariness and helplessness will find the rejuvenating wings of the Lord uplifting their spirits. The Reign is a promise of lifting the spirits of the drooping hearts. The spirit of the Reign is to take responsibility for those who grapple with life for meaning and purpose.
St. Ambrose whom we celebrate today did that, and that is how we have St. Augustine today! Augustine was converted by the teaching and example of Ambrose. Ambrose himself was chosen in a miraculous way to lead the people of God. Everything amounts to show us that nothing is impossible for God. That is hope, the key to the spirit of the Reign.
Like Ambrose we are called to stand for hope. And when we do that the Lord stands by us! What a powerful imagery we are given in the Word, for this season of advent: to wait on the Lord! Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles! The Word today is profusely filled with hope, a hope that comes from the abundance of love that the Lord has for us! It is strengthened by that love, that we can run but still not get weary. Even if we are weary, the Lord invites us to come to the Lord and rest in the Lord.
Precisely when we feel burdened and stressed, we are invited by the Lord with his open arms, like the open wings of the eagle - to soar on the wings of hope!