REVELATION TO MERE CHILDREN
TUESDAY, FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT Isa 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2,7-8,12-13,17; Lk 10:21-24 A Shoot from the Stock of Jesse The prophecy of Isaiah about the stock of Jesse is a reference to the ancient faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The divine root of the said stock is the word of God. The promise God made to Abraham rested on faith and is passed on to all who believe in the word of God, just as Abraham did. Among Jacob’s children, Judah was singled out for the inheritance of the said blessing of Abraham, which took the form of kingship or ruler of the people of God. The reference to the stock of Jesse is therefore to the manifestation of Abraham’s blessing in terms of kingship in David, the son of Jesse. The stock is the ancient faith of the fathers in the word of God. As the word of God confirms, God is faithful to the faithful souls forever and fulfils his promises to them. The faith of the patriarchs forms a stock from which the blessings of God emerge for us. The greatest of these blessin...