A Bigger Story

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Lk 3, 5

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low.

When Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech he was imagining a brighter future where racism no longer existed. It goes without saying that he never lived to see his dream’s fulfilment. On 4th April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, he was assassinated. Today in America, as in many parts of the world, the problems of racism are arguably as strong as ever.

How many of us live and die with unfulfilled expectations? How many relationships, jobs, tasks or projects are never resolved? How many of these things, despite our best efforts, remain out of our control? Yet Advent reminds us that our stories of unfulfillment take place within a bigger story of the ultimate fulfilment.

John the Baptist follows a longline of prophets who, despite living through times of great suffering, were able to envision future glory. Like Luther, Isaiah proclaimed in his own "I Have a Dream" speech: “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Isaiah and the other prophets were able to believe that something, in fact someone, who would come from beyond their world to save them. They longed for it but more importantly they believed in it, and that made all the difference in their oftentimes desperate present. They never lived to see the full story unravel but it didn’t matter. Their hope would not die with them and they trusted that in the fulness of God’s time - not ours now on earth - all things would be fulfilled.

A reflection written by Gianni Notarianni O.S.A., St Augustine's Hammersmith, London, England


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“Lord, let me know myself, and let me know You.”

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Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Col 4:6

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