Day 12: Comfort

“Comfort, give comfort to my people.” I recently read a commentary on this passage of Isaiah 40:1 which suggests that we could interpret this line in two different ways. In my non-scholarly interpretation, the two perspectives are as follows. In one view, our Lord has us in mind as recipients of this message. As individuals and as a human family, God sees our pain, our division, and our loneliness and seeks to give us good news, a word of comfort. In another view, God demands us to step into the role of the prophet. He sees our self-centeredness, our hesitations, and our judgements and says “Look around you! See your sister who is suffering; be a messenger of comfort for her.” 

Blessed to spend time with loved ones during the holidays, I was reminded of our need for community. I was deeply fed by laughter and joy in the company of family and new friends. God has made evident to me that I am a recipient of his message of comfort. Thus, in my experience, the more challenging part of this passage’s exhortation is discerning how to offer comfort to those I encounter. How can I be my brother’s keeper, his solace in times of difficulty? 

In response to this question, I’ve been convicted to practice greater openness to being used by the Holy Spirit as a vehicle to offer comfort to those around me. In particular, I have begun requesting in prayer to be made aware of words or actions that the Lord would like me to offer for someone, from the neighbor I walk past, to the person two pews in front of me at mass, to the cousin I haven’t spoken to in some time. In a way, I am asking for a faith like Mary, a freedom to say yes to being used by God. 

While this prayer comes with risk (consider the difficulties which followed after Mary’s yes to God!) I am coming to a deeper belief in the intentionality of our placement in the communities in which we find ourselves, beginning first with our immediate families. I have learned from my parents (and our Nigerian culture) that living with an expansive view of family comes with many joys, sacrifices, and responsibilities. Yet, God asks nothing less than for us to lean into the challenge of being active participants in his work of offering a prophetic message of comfort to the human family. In this way, we “give birth” to a more loving world, one more committed to mutual concern and compassion.

Question for Reflection: What is holding you back from being a comforter? Bring this question to prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to help you comfort your neighbors.