THE GATE OF THE STRONG CITY OF GOD


THURSDAY, FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

Isa 26:1-6; Ps 118:1,8-9,19-21,25-27; Mt 7:21,24-27

Entering God’s Life and Covenant

The universe manifests the glory of God because, as his creature, it exists for his purpose and fulfils his divine will. As existing and fulfilling God’s will, it is a revelation of God. Since God’s revelation of his divine will to men is our admission into his life and blessings, we can consider creation as a whole a gate that admits us into communion with God. In this sense, we say that the wisdom of God is present in creation as the teacher and guide of man. Before the fall of Adam and Eve, man could easily know creatures and God’s will about each of them. But sin has cost us that privilege and made us lose the original blessings of Eden. The more we sin and move away from God’s will for us, the farther away we walk from God’s will and the more difficult it becomes for us to enter through the gate into God’s life and blessings. Therefore, the promise of salvation to man involves God’s revelation of his divine will to us. Even after the fall, God did not abandon us in complete darkness or ignorance of his divine will. He promised us salvation through the promise of the woman and her Son. The Church calls this promise ‘the Protoevangelium’ or the first Gospel of salvation to the fallen man and woman.

If the door or gate through creation to God was not shut to us, the darkness of sin and the subsequent weakening of our will made it difficult for us to walk through the gate of creation to God. The revelation of the word of God is always the opening of the gate to God’s life and communion with God. This is the gate that Isaiah talks about in today’s prophecy, which leads into the strong city of God. “That day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; to guard us he has set wall and rampart about us. Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in, she, the faithful one whose mind is steadfast, who keeps the peace, because she trusts in you.” The everlasting city of God that Yahweh set up for the faithful was never closed to man and woman he made in his image. Rather, our choice led us away from the gate of the city of God. The gate is the word of God, for the Son of Man said: “I am the gate of the pasture; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jn 10:9. The land of Judah, the city of David, established at the instance of his faithfulness to God, is the symbol of the eternal city of God that the Son of Man will build. The prophecy concerns the city and its inhabitants, who are the faithful of God from all nations.

The city will be built on the everlasting Rock of the word of God, for both the city and the inhabitants are established on peaceful trust in God. About the security of the eternal city, the Psalmist says: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men; it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” The faith and trust in the word of God is what characterises every believer, without which none can find the way into the city of God. Our Lord affirms this in the Gospel when he says: “It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock.” Hence, the Father fulfils his promise of sending salvation to man, who refused to enter through the ancient gate of God’s city by disobedience to God’s word, when the woman and her Son appeared on earth. By the gift of the woman and her Son, God made the gate of the eternal city of God more visible and attractive to us. The holy season of Advent is a time for meditation on these mysteries, which are new and ancient. God has opened for us the gate of holiness; let us enter and give thanks. It is his own gate where the just may enter and give thanks. Let us open our hearts to the peace with which the Saviour comes by confessing our sins and unfaithfulness to God’s word.

Let us pray: Stir up your power, O Lord, and come to our help with mighty strength, that what our sins impede the grace of your mercy may hasten. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of Holy Sirit, God, for ever and ever.       

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