Travel Light. Follow the Light. Be the Light By Rev. Dick Vosko

Travel Light. Follow the Light. Be the Light.
This homily was presented at the closing liturgy of a retreat.
The Second Sunday of Advent - Year A
Sister Joan Mary Hartigan, CSJ was the retreat leader
The Dominican Retreat & Conference Center, Niskayuna, NY

So. “How are you doing?” It is a friendly question isn't it? How often lately do we hear this reply, “Just hangin’ in there.” These times are difficult. And, for many people they are … just hanging in there. The problems are well known and weigh in on all of us — the affordability crisis, food insecurity, housing shortages, international conflicts, societal polarizations and a government that appears to have no moral bearing. If you’re frightened by this list, so am I.
Perhaps that is why a silent retreat feels so good to you right now? Advent, after all, is a season filled with great expectations, visions for humanity, for all of creation. This time is designed to fill us with rich and imaginative insights about our lives and the ways in which we empathize with others.
I read the notes from your retreat leader Sr. Joan Mary Hartigan, CSJ. She set the theme for your weekend — “Holy Visitation: Travel Light, Follow the Light, Be the Light.” I thought to myself, “what more could I say?” I wondered what can today’s biblical texts add to your retreat and to my Advent journey?
In the religious imagination mountain tops are thought to be close to where God lives. If you could just reach that summit you would be OK. The Hebrew word for such heights is pisgah -- a place from which you can see far into the future. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see what is in store for us.
Last week the scriptures summoned us to that mountaintop, the eternal City of Jerusalem, a place where people could be safe, secure and live in harmony with other people. As we know, strife in the Middle East today challenges that prophetic expectation.
In the first reading today, Isaiah (11:1-10) continues to brim with the hope that someone might rise up to lead people up to that holy mountain. His concern was urgent. The Israelites were being pummeled again and again by a powerful Assyrian regime that would destroy the people and their cities.
Isaiah believed that the people would survive if only they had a leader who was wise, strong and who stood in awe of God; one who would maintain justice for poor and afflicted people. The “shoot of Jesse” rising up from the stump is a metaphor for the destroyed City of Jerusalem. And, it is a reference to military victories.
Christians have interpreted Isaiah’s reckonings to mean that Jesus of Nazareth will be the hero. Actually, biblical scholars remind us that Isaiah was referring to the dire need for a liberator for the Israelites at that time — the boy king Josiah would be that leader.
Josiah, a descendant of David, initiated a religious renaissance, rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple. Sadly, the peace lasted for only about 30 years when the Babylonians recaptured the Israelites and placed them into exile.
Much later, John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-12) also preached enthusiastically about a hero, the Coming One, who would be the liberator. John, the educated son of a priest, would be part of an elite class if he were alive today. Feeling the need to change his life he retreated to the wilderness where he lived off the grid.
John identified with those living on the fringes of society. He condemned the elite class for paying attention to their own agendas at the expense of others. His message to them was to repent, change their ways of living, experience a metamorphosis, have a change of heart.
Another way to grasp this challenge is found in the Hebrew word tikkun — to repair the world. The apostle Paul (Romans 15:4-9) sought to rectify the relationships between Jews and Gentiles as he addressed the tensions between classes and cultures. He called for endurance in working for harmony, ending divisions among people. Would his advice change hearts today?
The passage in Isaiah imagines opponents becoming friends. It is a call to make justice flourish. (Psalm 72) In Hebrew the word is tzedakah, which refers not merely to acts of loving kindness toward others but more poignantly to a social obligation to defend people from the ills of humanity and oppressive leadership. That is our vocation. To make things right again in our country and elsewhere. It is an Advent expectation.
On this retreat Sr. Joan Mary said, “In silence we hear God’s whisper moving like a feather through our being stroking and caressing timid souls into fiery passion for reconciliation, justice, and peace.”
Advent is a season not only to embrace the light of Christ for our own benefit but to shine it upon others. Pope Leo recently urged us to do so. During his recent visit to Turkey and Lebanon he focused on Isaiah’s call for a world at peace.
In Pope Leo’s words this call is urgent. He said, “How great is the need for peace, unity and reconciliation around us, within us and among us.” He then added: “What can our contribution be in response?” Pope Leo’s question is for you and for me to answer. The invitation is clear: travel light, follow the light, be the light.




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