Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.
The peace of the Lord be with you.
Today’s reading from Isaiah reminds us that God wants us to experience the fullness of his love and life. God wants this not only when we have passed from this life to the next, but at this very moment that we live in now.
At times, we are prone to pushing the love of God away. Although this does not make a lot of sense, it seems to be one of the struggles that we face. Despite this struggle, I pray that we will not lose confidence in God to offer us the graces that will deliver us and help us to accept the love He so longs to lavish upon us.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.