Readings:
✠ Epistle: Romans 15:4–13
✠ Gospel: Matthew 11:2–10
“For whatsoever things were written, were written for our instruction; that through patience and the consolation of the Scriptures, we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
In the quiet expectancy of Advent, the Church invites us to reflect not only on the promise of the Messiah, but also on the enduring power of hope—one of the theological virtues—that binds the soul to God’s promises. Today’s epistle and gospel together form a rich tapestry of this hope, drawing us into the longing of the Patriarchs, the voice of the prophets, and the expectant patience of the just who awaited the Consolation of Israel.
Saint Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, reminds the faithful that the Scriptures were given to nourish hope through patience and consolation. The Fathers saw in this passage a profound lesson in the spiritual reading of the Old Testament. St. John Chrysostom remarks that “the reading of the Scriptures profits us not only by way of knowledge but more importantly for the consolation it gives in affliction, and the patience it teaches in tribulation.” (Hom. on Rom. XV)
Advent, then, is not a passive waiting, but an active cultivating of patience. It is not mere nostalgia for Christ’s first coming, but a spiritual discipline—ordering our desires, mortifying distractions, and clinging to the Word. As St. Augustine says, “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old is unveiled in the New.” In this light, every promise to Israel finds its fulfillment in Christ, and every suffering endured in hope is a participation in His redemptive work.
The Gospel reveals the moment when St. John the Baptist, imprisoned and facing death, sends his disciples to Christ with a question that echoes the yearning of all the righteous: “Art Thou He that art to come, or look we for another?” (Matt 11:3)
Some of the Fathers have pondered whether John himself doubted. But most, like St. Jerome and St. Gregory the Great, assert that the Baptist did not doubt for himself, but sent his disciples so that they might be edified in faith. St. Gregory writes:
“John does not ask because he is ignorant of the answer, but he asks so that his disciples may be instructed. His question becomes a guide for them, leading them from doubt to the truth.” (Hom. in Evangelia VI)
Our Lord’s answer is drawn directly from the prophet Isaiah, the very prophet whose voice resounds through Advent: “The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matt 11:5; cf. Isa 35:5-6, 61:1)
Christ does not answer with an abstract declaration of divinity, but with the signs foretold of the Messiah. As St. Cyril of Alexandria puts it, “He shows Himself to be the Messiah not merely by saying so, but by doing the works which only God can do.” (In Lucam, lib. 4)
We are reminded in these readings that hope is not merely directed toward the future, but is rooted in the works of God already begun among us. Christ’s advent—then and now—is attested by His healing, His preaching, His mercy. The signs are real; the promises are being fulfilled.
Thus, we end where St. Paul ended: with a call to unity and glorification of God through Christ:
“That ye may glorify God with one mind and one mouth… Rejoice, O ye Gentiles, with His people… There shall be a root of Jesse, and He that shall rise up to rule the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.” (Rom 15:6, 10, 12)
This citation from Isaiah 11, echoed by St. Paul, places the Gentiles—us—into the heart of Israel’s hope. Advent is the time to renew that hope. In the midst of trial, darkness, and spiritual fatigue, we are invited to fix our eyes on Christ—the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the joy of the nations, the Light shining in the darkness.
Let us then, as the Collect of the day prays, prepare the way of the Lord by works of repentance, interior stillness, and joy-filled vigilance.
✠ Suggested Devotional Exercise:
- Lectio Divina: Read slowly through Isaiah 11 and Psalm 71(72), noting each image of the Messiah. Pray for the grace to recognize Christ acting in your life, just as He showed His works to John’s disciples.
- Prayer: Come, O Root of Jesse, deliver us, and tarry not. Let Thy saving work be renewed in our days. Amen.
✠ In the Words of the Fathers:
“The Lord, by manifesting His works, dispels their doubt, and opens their minds. So too with us: in times of darkness, let us remember what God has already done, and our faith shall be strengthened.”
— St. Leo the Great, Sermon 27 on the Nativity