Daily Meditation for December 5, 2023

Our world is in constant turmoil; we see environmental disasters and human conflict globally. No paradise in sight! Then one reads the prophet Isaiah, who describes a paradise so alluring that it seems like fantasy. He pictures a setting of complete harmony—one where all creation is at peace. The lamb will lie down with the wolf, the calf with the lion, and the child with the serpent. When and how is this to happen? Isaiah gives the necessary foundation: “For the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord.” Only if God is in the equation will a paradise come about. Only if we recognize God as our one true constant can we expect harmony. There will always be opposites in our finite lives; we accept this reality and, knowing that God is creator of all, strive together to forge a peaceful world.

By Carol Berg, OSB