“Comfort, give comfort to my people says your God.” – Isaiah 40:1
What do you imagine when you think of the word comfort? Do you picture yourself tucked cozily under some warm blankets? Perhaps you envision a favorite meal that your mom used to make. Certainly, these images capture one aspect of the meaning of comfort. However, it seems that Isaiah and John the Baptist had something deeper in mind when they urged the Israelites to “prepare the way of the LORD.”
Comfort has at its root the Latin word fortis, meaning strong. Thus, to comfort literally means to strengthen. As we see in the Gospels, Jesus is a challenging figure who never promised to make his disciples’ lives easy. He was not sentimental. Rather, he came to be our strength so that we might bear the burdens of this life and grow in holiness.
In short, Jesus came to be our King and conquer the world through love.
This love is a force that rebels against the powers of the world – and wins. Thus, as Fr. Robert Barron argues in one of his popular Youtube videos, Advent is actually a time of preparation for a rebellion and revolution of Love.
As Fr. Barron describes, the ancient Israelites had been repeatedly oppressed and exiled by first the Babylonians, then the Greeks, and the Romans. After the initial destruction of the Temple – God’s throne on Earth – they longed for the day when Yahweh would return to reclaim His rightful place as King.
When the appointed time had come, John the Baptist made the words of Isaiah his own as he proclaimed the arrival of Jesus, who Himself said plainly, “the kingdom of God is at hand.” In other words, Jesus basically said, “In me Yahweh has come to rule the world and is emerging as King.”
Thus, through Jesus’ words and actions we get a glimpse of what it looks like when Yahweh is King: sinners and saints alike dine together at the King’s table, sins are forgiven, and love reigns.
Yet, the violent world hated this type of King, so it tried to destroy him. The Jews condemned Jesus and the Romans crucified Him, but He rose from the dead and laid claim to definitive kingship over all creation.
This declaration set the first Christians in direct opposition to the powers of the world, namely the Roman Empire. In fact, as Fr. Barron explains, every word of the first line of St. Mark’s Gospel is a direct challenge to the authority of the Emperor. As we hear this Sunday, Mark’s Gospel starts simply with the words, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.”
The word gospel in Greek is Euongelion. It means “good news.” Whenever the Roman Emperor won a military battle, he would send out soldiers ahead of the returning army to share the good news of Caesar’s victory. These soldiers who shared the euongelion were known as evangelists. Thus, in a provocative way, Mark purposely used the same word to proclaim the real good news: that the man whom Caesar killed had risen from the dead!
To reinforce his point even more boldly, St. Mark called Jesus the huios tou theou; the Son of God. This is significant, because in those days Son of Godwas one of Caesar’s official titles. Thus, in blatant opposition to the Roman Empire, Saint Mark made his rebel cry: Caesar is not the Son of God – Jesus is!
So, this Advent let us join the rebellion. Let us proclaim the victory of love. Let us serve our King by bringing comfort to His people.
O King of the Nations, we prepare a path for You. Make us instruments of your love, so that we may be a source of comfort and strength for your little ones. Lead us all to victory, so that one day we may rejoice together at the table of your Heavenly Feast. Amen.
