Father Bob's Reflections

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

Dear Friends,

Isaiah dreams of a bright future for us. He shows us a wonderful vision: the animals lead the way to peace  . . .

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb . . . .

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 an ox

The baby shall play in the cobra’s den – Isaiah 11:5-10.

Let’s muse about the animal’s leading the way to peace, especially during this anxious time as we await the inauguration of the new president and the changes that will bring about, celebrating the holidays during the pandemic, and awaiting the vaccine for Covid and how that will affect us as even more people come down with the virus and die from it. Yes, today’s first reading from Isaiah is  Good News for us today!

(I have a Christmas short story about an owl from the banks of the Shenandoah River and a young lion from the Serengeti in Africa leading the way to peace.

It’s a fun story.  Why not download it and save it for close to Christmas? (Be sure to use the < back arrow at the top left-hand corner of your browser so that you can come back to this page.)

My puppy Shivvy (of happy memory) demonstrated his curiosity about his fellow creatures of all sorts.

I have stories of him with turtles and little doves with broken wings and bunny rabbits and ducklings on our walks around our condo.

Think about this . . .

What can I do today to bring more harmony into the habitat in which I live – at home, at work, at church, in my neighborhood, in our world?

Behold a broken world, we pray,

Where want and war increase,

And grant us, Lord, in this our day,

The ancient dream of peace.

Bring, Lord, your better world to birth, 

Your kingdom, love’s domain,

Where peace with God and peace on earth,

And peace eternal reign. 

         ~ Timothy Dudley Smith / 1985

If you’re new to this Advent blog,  I recommend reading my Understanding the Seven Advent Themes to get a sense of why we want to spend four weeks preparing for our Christmas celebration and how it can help you deepen your spirituality whether you are a Catholic or even a Christian. Click here

I will be posting each day of Advent, (God willin’ n’ the creek don’t rise.

You can make yourself  mini-retreat for five minutes a day and have the best and most meaningful Christmas ever!
It’ll relieve your stress.  Calm your nerves.  Put a bounce in your step and a smile on your face.  And it’s free! 
So, what are you waiting for?  

And now, for your listening pleasure here’s an excerpt from the great sixties movie musical “Godspell to get you in an Advent mood. Click here. Be sure to enter full screen and turn up your speakers.

And here are today’s Mass readings: Click here.

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer