When I reflect on our continuing wars, when I read of violence in Africa, the Middle East, or our own cities, when I choke on the latest political scandal, I am reminded of something Abraham Heschel wrote in The Prophets:
What is history? Wars, victories, and wars. . . So many fears . . . The world is drenched in blood, and the guilt is endless. . . This is what the prophets discovered. History is a nightmare. There are more scandals, more acts of corruption, than are dreamed of in philosophy.
But this nightmare is not the final word. Heschel goes on to say:
It would be blasphemous to believe that what we witness is the end of God’s creation. It is an act of evil to accept the state of evil as either inevitable or final. Others may be satisfied with improvement, the prophets insist upon redemption. The way [humanity] acts is a disgrace, and it must not go on forever.
Evil and violence are not God’s purpose for creation. Not only does God want something better for us, but something better is on the way. Listen to the prophet Isaiah:
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again. (Isaiah 2:4)
And this:
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
. . . . . . . . . .
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full
of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
(Isaiah 11:6,9)
Is this just a fairy tale? A daydream? No, we are reminded during the first weeks of Advent that the old order will come to an end — indeed is already on its way out. But we are not to wait passively for peace to reign. We are called to live in justice and mercy, and to wait with hope for the fulfillment of all things in Christ. In fact, by living in peace, justice, hope, and love, we are anticipating even now the age to come — and with Christ we bring comfort to a fearful world.