...a shoot shal sprout from the stump of Jesse.I

IS 1:1

"Praise to you my Lord!"...in the words of this beautiful Canticle Saint Francis reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. Praise be to you my Lord. Thanks to our Sister, Mother Earth who sustains and governs us and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs."

Care of The Earth...Pope Francis

In today's Gospel we encounter Saint John the Baptist who calls us to:

REPENT!.

From the Greek his call means to change our perspective.

From the Hebrew it has more the meaning of "turning around."

And if we turn around, Pope Francis tells us there is a Mother who wishes to embrace us!

And to be embraced always implies that we turn around and open our arms.

To embrace requires an openness,

To embrace means heart to heart.

To embrace means taking off our armor of denial.

As the enemies an deniers of Global Warmng take center stage, Pope Francis reminds us we are more than ever to become defenders of our earth home.

We are to embrace, love and defend her.

And today Isaiah reminds us that the Savior who is to come is of "the earth earthy!" 

"...a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse and from his roots a bud shall blossom..."

And the beautiful song proclaims: "Lo how a rose ere blooming!:

 Groups like EDF, Environmental Defense...[Google EDF.org]  and others are defending her from those who would despoil her, so there is good reason to hope for her future and that of our children, and so our Advent Mantra:  we pray:

Help us not to lose sight of

Hope!

Ther she is--

just ahead of us,

always urging us forward.

"Come on!"

she beckons!

toward the light,

and the warmth,

and Christmas joy.

"Be comforted!"

"Be comforted!"

Amen