Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10 / Luke 10:21-24
Setting
the Scene
Jesus has just sent out seventy-two
disciples, and they've returned buzzing with excitement, even demons submitted
to them in His name! But Jesus redirects their joy: "Rejoice not that the
spirits submit to you, but that your names are written in heaven."
Then He does something remarkable.
He prays out loud, thanking the Father for hiding these things from the wise
and learned, and revealing them to little children.
It's a prayer of pure joy. Jesus is
celebrating the upside-down nature of God's Kingdom.
The
Heart of It
"I give praise to you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these mysteries from the
wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike."
Who are the wise and learned? The
scribes. The Pharisees. The scholars who spent their lives studying the Torah.
They had all the knowledge, all the credentials, all the right answers. And
they missed Him completely.
Who are the childlike? Fishermen.
Tax collectors. Women. A Roman centurion. People with no theological degrees,
no religious pedigree. And they got it. They saw what the experts
couldn't see.
Isaiah's prophecy paints this same
upside-down picture: the wolf living with the lamb, the leopard lying down with
the young goat, a little child leading them all. The Kingdom isn't about power
and strength, it's about trust and wonder.
Jesus looks at His disciples and
says something stunning: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
Many prophets and kings desired to see what you see but did not see it."
You're living in the moment prophets
dreamed about. Are you awake to it?
For
Your Reflection
Take the time necessary to look at
these reflection questions.
About Wisdom:
- When has your knowledge gotten in the way of your
faith?
- What would it mean to approach God with a child's trust
instead of an expert's analysis?
- Are you trying to figure God out, or are you willing to
simply receive?
About Blessing:
- Jesus says you're blessed to see what prophets longed
to see. Do you feel blessed, or do you take it for granted?
- What spiritual realities are right in front of you that
you're not noticing?
- How would your day change if you truly grasped that
you're living in answered prophecy?
About Simplicity:
- What complications have you added to your faith that
God never asked for?
- Where are you making this harder than it needs to be?
- The Franciscan way is radical simplicity. What needs to
be stripped away?
About Joy:
- When's the last time you prayed with Jesus' kind of
exuberant joy?
- What makes your heart rejoice about God?
- Are you more excited about what you can do for God, or
about what God has done for you?
Praying
the Sorrowful Mysteries
As the rosary moves through your
fingers today, notice the profound simplicity in suffering:
The Agony in the Garden - Jesus' childlike prayer: "Not my will, but
yours."
The Scourging - Silent suffering, no defense, complete trust in the
Father.
The Crown of Thorns - Mocked as king, yet reigning through humble love.
Carrying the Cross - One step at a time, simple obedience to the end.
The Crucifixion - "Father, forgive them", childlike trust even
in death.
The wise and learned couldn't
understand a Messiah who suffers. But the childlike see it clearly: this is
what love looks like. No complications. No conditions. Just complete surrender.
A
Quiet Challenge
Isaiah's vision shows natural
enemies at peace, the wolf and the lamb, the cow and the bear, the lion eating
straw like an ox. A little child leads them because only a child could imagine
such absurd trust.
What enemies are you keeping at war
in your own heart? What reconciliation seems as impossible as a wolf
befriending a lamb?
Advent whispers: God specializes in
impossible peace.
Closing
Pray this slowly, like you mean it:
"Father, make me childlike.
Strip away my need to understand everything. Help me see what the prophets
longed to see, not with studied analysis, but with wondering eyes. Let me be
small enough to receive what You want to give."
Then ask:
- What am I overthinking that just needs simple trust?
- Where is God inviting me to joy instead of striving?
- What if today I'm living in someone else's answered
prayer?
Stay small. Stay wondering. Stay
blessed. Stay filled with the knowledge and love that Jesus loves you so much that He paid
the ultimate price for your sins and mine.
Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
December 2, 2025
A Franciscan Reflection
©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
