Fourth Monday of Advent

Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

 At first glance Ahaz’s words might sound like a good idea. We shouldn’t test or tempt God. Instead, we should trust in Him. However, God was the one who wanted to perform a sign for Ahaz in order to reinforce his faith. Ahaz turned Him down because as long as no sign was given Ahaz was free to do as he wished, to trust in himself. But if he asked for a sign and received it, he would have given God power over his decisions. He would have had to live according to God’s Will and not his own. Sometimes we act like Ahaz. We trust in ourselves over God. We choose our own way. We close our eyes to the signs around us that are pointing us to a better way of living. Our only hope is to humbly put aside our self-reliance and accept that we need God’s help. Then, and only then, will we empty ourselves enough to be filled with the grace we need to live holy lives.

Are we open to God’s influence in our lives? Do we trust God more than ourselves? Can we learn to humble ourselves before God?

O Lord, we trust in you and the greatest sign you ever sent us, Jesus Christ.

Amen.