God’s Quiet Power Revealed
December 12, 2024 - Thursday, Second Week of Advent
Isaiah 41,13-20; Ps 145: 1bc i 9-13; Matt. 11,11-15
Our readings today invite us to reflect on the surprising ways God reveals His power—not through displays of worldly strength but through life-giving sustenance, mercy, and humble service. Isaiah, Psalm 145, and Jesus’ words in Matthew each reveal a different aspect of how God brings His kingdom to us, often contrary to our expectations.
Isaiah speaks to a people longing for deliverance, promising that God will provide “water in the wilderness” and “turn the desert into pools” (Isaiah 41:18). Just as God sustained Israel in the desert during the Exodus, Isaiah assures us that God will once again provide life in barren places. Water, the essence of life, symbolizes God’s sustaining presence and the promise of new creation—a garden emerging in the desert.
Psalm 145 complements Isaiah’s vision by celebrating God’s kingship, not in terms of earthly power but through compassion and mercy. “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,” the psalmist declares, making God’s kindness the mark of His rule (Ps 145:8). The Catechism echoes this, stating that “God reveals his fatherly omnipotence by the way he takes care of our needs; by the filial adoption that he gives us (…); by his infinite mercy, for he displays his power at its height by freely forgiving sins” (CCC, 270). Advent prepares us for the realization that true power cannot be found in domination but in the humble "stable" of Bethlehem.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares John the Baptist “the greatest born of women” (Matt 11:11). But how could an unknown prophet, living in a desert, eating locust and honey, and wearing rough clothes made of camel’s hair, be greater than anyone else? The answer lies in the fact that the humble John was chosen by God to prepare the way for Jesus, the Savior of us all. Yet, the surprise does not end there. Jesus continues by declaring that “the least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 11:11) is greater than “the greatest [man] born of women” (Matt 11:11). Every Christian should marvel at this statement. All of us, born of the Spirit of God in the sacrament of baptism, should realize the greatness of God's grace in our lives, as we are chosen and called to partake of God's divine life (see 2 Peter 1:4).
The last surprise that we find in today's liturgy of the Word relates to Jesus' statement that “from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it” (Matt 11:12, New Living Translation). Just as John the Baptist faced persecution and Jesus was crucified, the kingdom’s quiet power in humility and mercy often conflicts with worldly expectations of power. Yet, it is unstoppable.
As we await the coming of Christ, we are called to marvel at God's way of acting in the world. Like the streams in the desert and the forgiveness extended to generations, God’s power is manifested through His gentleness and unending compassion. Let us prepare our hearts to welcome Christ by embracing His humility, celebrating His mercy, and recognizing His kingship in the self-giving love that sustains all things.