20251202 HAPPY THE EYES THAT SEE THE COMING OF GOD’S KINGDOM
02 December 2025, Tuesday, 1st Week in Advent
First reading | Isaiah 11:1-10 |
A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse
A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,
a scion thrusts from his roots:
on him the spirit of the Lord rests,
a spirit of wisdom and insight,
a spirit of counsel and power,
a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
(The fear of the Lord is his breath.)
He does not judge by appearances,
he gives no verdict on hearsay,
but judges the wretched with integrity,
and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.
His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,
his sentences bring death to the wicked.
Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,
faithfulness the belt about his hips.
The wolf lives with the lamb,
the panther lies down with the kid,
calf and lion feed together,
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear make friends,
their young lie down together.
The lion eats straw like the ox.
The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;
into the viper’s lair
the young child puts his hand.
They do no hurt, no harm,
on all my holy mountain,
for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters swell the sea.
That day, the root of Jesse
shall stand as a signal to the peoples.
It will be sought out by the nations
and its home will be glorious.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 71(72):1-2,7-8,12-13,17 |
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
May his name be blessed for ever
and endure like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps84:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Behold, our Lord will come with power
and will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 10:21-24 |
No-one knows who the Son is except the Father
Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said:
‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’
HAPPY THE EYES THAT SEE THE COMING OF GOD’S KINGDOM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 11:1-10; LUKE 10:21-24 ]
Advent celebrates the coming of God’s Kingdom. To stir up our expectations of the coming of Christ and His Kingdom, the Scripture readings give us a preview of what we can expect from this Kingdom. In the first reading from Isaiah, the prophet speaks of the qualities that the coming Messiah will possess: “On him the spirit of the Lord rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. (The fear of the Lord is his breath.)” The ruler of this Kingdom would have the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, a symbol of the perfection of gifts. With these gifts, the future ruler of the Kingdom of David will bring about the restoration of the kingdom and transform it into the ideal kingdom that God has always wanted for His people.
This ideal kingdom is meant to parallel creation before the Fall, where all creatures on earth lived in peace with each other. The future kingdom is similar to paradise, where there is peace and security and the removal of the original curse on the relationship between man and the animals (cf. Gn 3:14-19). “The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid; calf and lion cub feed together with a little boy to lead them.” There will be ecological unity among all creatures of God, all respecting their boundaries and at the same time forsaking violence and killing. Even animals will live, feed, and play together. The strong animals and poisonous reptiles will not harm anyone: “The cow and the bear make friends, their young lie down together. The lion eats straw like the ox. The infant plays over the cobra’s hole; into the viper’s lair the young child puts his hand. They do no hurt, no harm, on all my holy mountain.”
But before all these can come about, the Messiah from the stock of Jesse, the future King, must bring justice to all creation. He will judge justly, without partiality. Most of all, He will protect the poor, the marginalized, and the innocent. But His judgment will also befall the wicked: “His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless, his sentences bring death to the wicked.” This King will act with integrity and is faithful to God and His people: “Integrity is the loincloth round his waist, faithfulness the belt around his hips.” Hence the responsorial psalm prays: “O God, give your judgement to the king, to a king’s son your justice, that he may judge your people in justice and your poor in right judgement. In his days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails. He shall rule from sea to sea, from the Great River to earth’s bounds. For he shall save the poor when they cry and the needy who are helpless. He will have pity on the weak and save the lives of the poor. May his name be blessed forever and endure like the sun. Every tribe shall be blessed in him, all nations bless his name.”
In Christ Jesus, the Son of David, the King’s Son, this promised vision of Isaiah is fulfilled. Jesus, as the Messiah, possesses the fullness of the gifts of the Spirit. It was these qualities that enabled Him to command respect and awe in those who encountered Him. His charismatic leadership allowed Him to work and to teach freely in the power of the Spirit, drawing everyone to Himself–young and old, saints and sinners alike–and inspiring many disciples to follow Him, leaving everything behind to work with Him for the realization of the Kingdom of God. Most of all, Jesus exuded integrity in His words and deeds, and faithfulness to God’s will, reconciling man with man and man with God through the forgiveness of sins. He cured the sick, exorcised those possessed by the Evil One, and even had power over unruly storms. His works showed that He had come to bring order to creation, which had been destroyed by sin and selfishness.
It is within this context that the Gospel invites us to rejoice with the apostles who returned from their missionary journey to establish the Kingdom of God. Prior to today’s Gospel text, we are told that the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Lk 10:17-20). The disciples witnessed the beginning of the power of Christ at work in restoring creation through healing and reconciliation, giving them true freedom from evil. Most of all, they saw Satan under control and submitted to the rule of Jesus. Indeed, their great rejoicing should not be over what they did–the miracles they performed or how they subdued the Evil One. Rather, they should be happy simply because they have seen with their own eyes the coming of God’s Kingdom. Not even the prophets and kings had the privilege of witnessing the restoration of God’s creation. Implicit in this seeing is recognising that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the King who is to come to restore not only Israel but all creation to its pristine state.
Above all, He revealed to them God’s plan of salvation and His own relationship with the Father in the Holy Spirit: “Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” In teaching His disciples and sending them out on mission, Jesus made known to them the Father’s plan of salvation. Just as the Father sent the Son, the Son sends them in the Holy Spirit. Through the works the disciples did and what they witnessed, they came to realise Jesus’ true identity and His intimate relationship with the Father. Only in Jesus can we come to know the life of the Father. And it is through His Father that Jesus was able to do all that He did in obedience to Him–an obedience freely given and always in perfect unity of mind and heart. This explains why Jesus, the new Davidic ruler, governs effectively, unlike other kings. We too are invited to share in the intimacy of Jesus with His Father through obedience to His will. Indeed, this life of the Trinity fills us with the greatest joy because it is a relationship of mutual knowledge, trust, and love.
We too are given access to the life of the Trinity, if only we are humble like children. Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.” We need the simplicity and docility of children to appreciate the love and goodness of God in our lives. The reason some of us are not able to see God at work in our lives–even when He has been helping us all along–is that we are looking in the wrong places or are blind to His intervention because we are so absorbed in our sorrow. Indeed, even in our sufferings and trials, miracles are waiting to be manifested. God comes to us when we are helpless and when we can depend only on Him. As we read in the first reading, God always demonstrates His glory by raising up people of humble means, like the stump of Jesse, in contrast to the lofty and proud trees of Assyria. Out of the stump will come the shoot, a symbol of hope and life.
Indeed, the greatest privilege for anyone is to come to know Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Jesus told His disciples, “Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.” Knowing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, is a great privilege because others have only glimpsed it from afar, like the prophets and the kings. They are like Simeon, who saw God’s salvation in Jesus with his own eyes (Lk 2:26, 30). King David foresaw it (Acts 2:31). Moses and Elijah witnessed it at the Transfiguration (Lk 9:30). This is why seeing the Lord and recognising Him as our Saviour is the greatest privilege. Truly, in Jesus we see the consummation of all history, for He is the One whom all have long awaited. Jesus is the summit of salvation history. From then on, history and humanity are to march toward Him in order to realize our dream of a new heaven and a new earth. Only when all of us are in Christ will we attain the perfection of life and love. In Christ we will meet God face to face, and in Him we share the Trinitarian life of God.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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