From: Isaiah 35:1-10
Promise of Redemption
[1] The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall
rejoice and blossom; like the crocus [2] it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given
to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of
the Lord, the majesty of our God.
[3] Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. [4] Say
to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not! Behold,
your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will
come and save you.” [5] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped; [6] then shall the lame man leap
like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall
break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; [7] the
burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of
water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall
become reeds and rushes.
[8] And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not pass over it, and fools shall not err therein.
[9] No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on
it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
[10] And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with
singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Commentary:
35:1-10 The focus now changes with this hymn celebrating Zion, the
holy city. It presents a picture of the restored Jerusalem in language
reminiscent of that of chapters 11 and 12. God who manifested his
presence and protection during the exodus, when Israel came up out of
Egypt, will do so again in wonderful ways as the redeemed flock
back home to Zion. He will show them the route and give them a highway
and be with them in a sort of solemn procession to where he dwells (v.
8). Just as in Babylon there was a “Holy Way” lined with statues of
lions and dragons that led to the temple of Marduk, the redeemed will
have a truly “Holy Way” to take them to the house of the Lord in
Jerusalem. The joy of the returnees is compounded by the instant cure
of the blind, deaf and lame (cf. 29:18-19), which is an anticipation
of what will happen in the messianic era.
The miracles worked by Jesus demonstrate that the moment of true
redemption foreseen indistinctly by the prophets has come to pass (cf.
Mt 11:2-6). St Justin, showing the Jew Tryphon that this prophecy
found fulfillment in Christ, points out: “Christ is the stream of
living water that flows from God; he sprang up in the desert wastes of
ignorance of God; that is, in the parched earth of all the nations.
He, who was born among your people, cured those who were blind from
birth, and the deaf and the lame: by his word alone, they leapt and heard and
saw once more. He raised the dead and gave them new life, and by all
his good works prompted men to see Him for who he is. [...] He did all
these things to convince those who were to believe in him, whatever
bodily defects they might have, that if they obeyed the teachings
that he gave them, he would raise them up again at his Second Coming
and make them whole and perfect and immortal as He is” ("Dialogus Cum
Tryphone", 69,6).
The Church uses this passage from Isaiah in the Advent liturgy (3rd
Sunday, Cycle A) to encourage the faithful in joyous hope that God will
come and bring salvation.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
From: Luke 5:17-26
The Cure of the Paralytic in Capernaum
[17] On one of those days, as He (Jesus) was teaching, there were
Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every
village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the
Lord was with Him to heal. [18] And behold, men were bringing on a bed
a man who was paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him
before Jesus; [19] but finding no way to bring him in, because of the
crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through
the tiles into the midst before Jesus. [20] And when He saw their
faith He said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." [21] And the scribes
and the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this that speaks
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?" [22] When Jesus
perceived their questionings, He answered them, "Why do you question in
your hearts? [23] Which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven
you,' or to say, `Rise and walk'? [24] But that you may know that the
Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the man
who was paralyzed--"I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go home."
[25] And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he
lay, and went home, glorifying God. [26] And amazement seized them
all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have
seen strange things today."
Commentary:
17. A little earlier, beside the lake, Jesus addressed His teaching to
crowds (verses 1ff). Here His audience includes some of the most
educated Jews. Christ desired not only to teach but also to cure
everyone--spiritually and, sometimes, physically, as He will soon do in
the case of the paralytic. The evangelist's observation at the end of
this verse reminds us that our Lord is ever-ready to use His
omnipotence for our good: "I know the plans I have for you, plans for
welfare and not for evil', God declared through the prophet Jeremiah
(29:11). The liturgy applies these words to Jesus, for in Him we are
clearly shown that God does love us in this way. He did not come to
condemn us, to accuse us of meanness and smallness. He came to save
us, pardon us, excuse us, bring us peace and joy." ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ
Is Passing By", 165). On this occasion also Jesus wanted to benefit His
listeners, even though some of them would not receive this divine gift
because they were not well-disposed.
19-20. Our Lord is touched when He sees these friends of the paralytic
putting their faith into practice: they had gone up onto the roof,
taken off some of the tiles and lowered the bed down in front of
Jesus. Friendship and faith combine in obtaining a miraculous cure.
The paralytic himself had a like faith: he let himself be carried
around, brought up onto the roof and so forth. Seeing such solid faith
Jesus gives them even more than they expect: He cures the man's body
and, what is much more, cures his soul. Perhaps He does this, as St.
Bede suggests (cf. "In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc."), to show
two things: that the illness was a form of punishment for his sins and
therefore the paralytic could only get up once these sins had been
forgiven; and that others' faith and prayer can move God to work
miracles.
In some way, the paralytic symbolizes everyone whose sins prevent him
from reaching God. For example, St. Ambrose says: "How great is the
Lord who on account of the merits of some pardon others, and while
praising the former absolves the latter![...] Therefore, let you, who
judge, learn to pardon; you, who are ill, learn to beg for
forgiveness. And if the gravity of your sins causes you to doubt the
possibility of being forgiven, have recourse to intercessors, have
recourse to the Church, who will pray for you, and the Lord will grant
you, out of love for her, what He might have refused you" (St. Ambrose,
"Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
Apostolic work should be motivated by desire to help people find Jesus
Christ. Among other things it calls for daring--as we see in the
friends of the paralytic; and it also needs the intercession of the
saints, whose help we seek because we feel God will pay more attention
to them than to us sinners.
24. Our Lord is going to perform a public miracle to prove that He is
endowed with invisible, spiritual power. Christ, the only Son of the
Father, has power to forgive sins because He is God, and He uses this
power on our behalf as our Mediator and Redeemer (Luke 22:20; John
20:17-18, 28: 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John
1:9; Isaiah 53:4-5). Jesus used this power personally when He was on
earth and after ascending into Heaven He still uses it, through the
Apostles and their successors.
A sinner is like a paralytic in God's presence. The Lord is going to
free him of his paralysis, forgiving him his sins and enabling him to
walk by giving him grace once more. In the sacrament of Penance, if
Jesus Christ, "sees us cold, unwilling, rigid perhaps with the
stiffness of a dying interior life, His tears will be our life: `I say
to you, My friend, arise and walk,' (cf. John 11:43; Luke 5:24), leave
that narrow life which is no life at all" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is
Passing By," 193).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
A hymn well suited for Isaiah's prophecy and for the Gospel:
"Hark the Glad Sound! The Savior Comes"
by Philip Doddridge, 1702-1751
1. Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let every heart prepare a throne
And every voice a song.
2. He comes the prisoners to release,
In Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.
3. He comes from thickest films of vice
To clear the mental ray
And on the eyeballs of the blind
To pour celestial day.
4. He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.
5. Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim
And heaven's eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #66 from _The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal_
Text: Is. 61:1, 2; Luke 4:18
Author: Philip Doddridge, 1735, cento
Composer: Thomas Haweis, 1792
Tune:
"Chesterfield"
St. Sabbas is pictured as an abbot with an apple. He was once tempted to eat an apple outside of the prescribed mealtime, whereupon he vowed never to eat apples again. The Martyrology says: "At Mutala in Cappadocia the holy abbot Sabbas; in Palestine he gave the shining example of a holy life. Untiringly he labored in defense of the true faith against those opposing the Council of Chalcedon." In Jerusalem he built a famous laura (as oriental monasteries are called), which bears his name. When the Arabs later conquered the Holy City, the monks fled to Rome, where they built a monastery and introduced the veneration of their saint. In the Eastern Church St. Sabbas ranks high in popular devotion; he is distinguished by the titles "God-bearer, the Saint, Citizen of the Holy City, Star of the Desert, Patriarch of Monks." 
