A Voice of One Crying
in the Wilderness
It was in the
wilderness that God’s saving presence was proclaimed by John the Baptist, and
there that God’s salvation was seen. The words of this prophecy were fulfilled
when Christ and his glory were made manifest to all: after his baptism the
heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove rested on him, and
the Father’s voice was heard, bearing witness to the Son: This is my beloved
Son, listen to him.
The prophecy
meant that God was to come to a deserted place, inaccessible from the
beginning. None of the pagans had any knowledge of God, since his holy servants
and prophets were kept from approaching them. The voice commands that a way be
prepared for the Word of God: the rough and trackless ground is to be made
level, so that our God may find a highway when he comes. Prepare the way of
the Lord: the way is the preaching of the Gospel, the new message of
consolation, ready to bring to all mankind the knowledge of God’s saving power.
Climb on a
high mountain, bearer of good news to Zion. Lift up your voice in strength,
bearer of good news to Jerusalem. These words harmonise very well with the
meaning of what has gone before. They refer opportunely to the evangelists and
proclaim the coming of God to men, after speaking of the voice crying in the
wilderness. Mention of the evangelists suitably follows the prophecy on John
the Baptist.
What does Zion
mean if not the city previously called Jerusalem? This is the mountain referred
to in that passage from Scripture: Here is mount Zion, where you dwelt.
The Apostle says: You have come to mount Zion. Does not this refer to
the company of the apostles, chosen from the former people of the circumcision?
This is the
Zion, the Jerusalem, that received God’s salvation. It stands aloft on the
mountain of God, that is, it is raised high on the only-begotten Word of God.
It is commanded to climb the high mountain and announce the word of salvation.
Who is the bearer of the good news but the company of the evangelists? What
does it mean to bear the good news but to preach to all nations, but first of
all to the cities of Judah, the coming of Christ on earth?
Source:
The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings
From
A commentary on Isaiah by Eusebius of CaesareaPhoto taken from Wikimedia Commons
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