Tuesday, December 3, 2013

1st Week of Advent, Wednesday, 04-12-13

Isaiah 25:6-10 / Matthew 15:29-37

To build something on a mountain top is certainly not an easy task.

Even with modern machinery and technology, the task of transporting the building materials up to the mountain top is certainly challenging.

But when the task is completed, we can see how magnificently the structure or building stands on the mountain top.

One example is the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. And there are also many amazing and awesome monasteries that are built on mountain tops and on some of the unlikely high places.

Maybe the religious sentiment is that what is to be offered to God must be done on the highest ground possible, as well as to inspire and impress people on this religious aspect.

The two readings also mentioned about mountains and hills. In the gospel Jesus went up the hills and large crowds come to Him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others.

Jesus not only healed them, but later on He even worked a miracle to feed the crowd.

What Jesus did will remind the people of what the prophet Isaiah said in the 1st reading: On this mountain the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines. On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples.

And as we celebrate the Eucharist, let us remember that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was also done on a mount called Mount Calvary.

On the cross on Mt. Calvary, God destroyed death and wiped away the tears from every cheek. On the cross on Mt. Calvary, salvation was proclaimed.

So the power of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is promised unto us. We don't have to go up to some high mountain to obtain.

Jesus comes to us in the forms of bread and wine to wipe away the tears from our eyes so that we can exalt and rejoice because He has saved us.