First Tuesday of Advent

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.

All these things are true of Jesus, but they are also meant to be true of us, too. We are meant to be a blossoming sprout of goodness in the world. The Spirit of the Lord should rest on us, too. We should be wise, understanding, and full of good counsel and spiritual strength. We should cultivate our knowledge and fear of the Lord so that we can better live the Good News and be faithful servants to God and His children. We should not judge others by their appearance or hearsay, but rather be just in all things, especially to the poor and afflicted.

Do our lives reflect the life of Christ? How can we grow in goodness, wisdom, compassion, and justice? What can we do for the poor and afflicted?

O Lord, help us to blossom in goodness and justice.

Amen.