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Advent Reflection: Monday, December 6

12/06/2021

As Saint Louis University embraces the holiday season, students, faculty and staff members were asked to share reflections on selected readings. Today Jack Johnston, senior International Studies and Communication student, reflects on First Reading, Isaiah 35:1-10. 

Reading for Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 

First Reading, Isaiah 35:1-10

The desert and the parched land will exult;

the steppe will rejoice and bloom.

They will bloom with abundant flowers,

and rejoice with joyful song.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

They will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the hands that are feeble,

make firm the knees that are weak,

Say to those whose hearts are frightened:

Be strong, fear not!

Here is your God,

he comes with vindication;

With divine recompense

he comes to save you.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,

the ears of the deaf be cleared;

Then will the lame leap like a stag,

then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Streams will burst forth in the desert,

and rivers in the steppe.

The burning sands will become pools,

and the thirsty ground, springs of water;

The abode where jackals lurk

will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.

A highway will be there,

called the holy way;

No one unclean may pass over it,

nor fools go astray on it.

No lion will be there,

nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it.

It is for those with a journey to make,

and on it the redeemed will walk.

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return

and enter Zion singing,

crowned with everlasting joy;

They will meet with joy and gladness,

sorrow and mourning will flee.

Reflection

Jack Johnston, Senior International Studies and Communication Student
Jack Johnston

This has been a hard year and semester to navigate. There were plenty of moments where I felt that I had nothing left to give, that I had nothing left to gain, and that trying to move forward in my studies or social activities were pointless in bringing me joy or fulfillment. But all I can do is trust that moving forward and relying on my instincts will eventually lead me to communion with the world around me. 

The landscape described in Isaiah is a great example of the communion we all seek—it is decadent and ripe. It is where justice reigns and pain has been banished. I trust that I will eventually find that paradise (though maybe not literally). I trust that we will "bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song," and that we will "meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee." 

Each of our deserts is personal and the challenges we face are unique, but I trust that we will all find communion. What in your life do you rely on to give you hope? Is there a person, thing, or practice that allows you to trust your path through the desert? What does your paradise look like this Advent season?

-- Jack Johnston, senior International Studies and Communication student

Newslink will be running select reflections through Advent. All the reflections can be found on the Mission and Identity Facebook page.