Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. "Faith Book" is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Isaiah reading:

“On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,

and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”

Reflection:

Isaiah’s image of a stump might well describe the condition of our world today. The news this morning reported that 30,000 women and children have been killed in Gaza, and 1.2 million Gazans have become refugees. The “stump” could also describe some part of our own lives – the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, declining health, a broken relationship. A stump is something cut down, lifeless, and seemingly beyond renewal.

So, we ask ourselves:

·        Where in my life, or community, do I see only a “stump” – something that seems cut off, without hope?

·        What must I do to make room for the new growth God wants to live in the world ?

·        What would it look like for me today to live as a citizen of Isaiah’s “peaceable kingdom?” 

 Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120725.cfm