First Reading - Isaiah 11:1-10
Gospel - Luke 10:21-24
Isaiah offers a breathtaking vision. He speaks of a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse—new life emerging from what looks dead. This is a picture of the Messiah, the One filled with the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. Under His reign, wolves and lambs live together, enemies become neighbors, and violence gives way to harmony. It is a world transformed—not by human power, but by the Spirit-filled rule of God’s chosen one. Isaiah reminds us that God brings new beginnings where we see only dead ends, and He brings peace where we see only division.
The Gospel shows us something beautiful about how God reveals this kingdom. Jesus rejoices because the Father reveals His mysteries not to the clever or powerful, but to the childlike. Not childlike in intellect, but in heart—in trust, openness, humility, and wonder. The disciples are blessed not because they are perfect, but because their hearts are open enough to see what others miss: God is at work right in front of them.
And then Jesus adds a tender line:
“Many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it…”
In other words, what Isaiah longed for, what generations prayed for, is breaking into the world through Jesus—and only hearts that are open and humble can recognize it.
Dear friends, God is building a world of peace, healing, and justice—and He invites us to see it and participate in it with childlike hearts.
Isaiah paints the promise.
Jesus teaches us the posture.
We all want healing—in our homes, in our work, in our society, in our inner lives. But often, we look for solutions through control, anxiety, and self-reliance. We try to fix everything through our own strength. Yet Jesus tells us that the deepest truths are revealed not to the self-assured, but to the humble.
A humble heart listens.
A childlike heart trusts.
An open heart sees God’s quiet work even in unexpected places.
Maybe Isaiah’s vision feels far away when we look at the realities of our world—conflicts, injustices, divisions, worries. But Jesus reminds us that the kingdom begins in small places: in the heart that forgives, the mind that seeks God, the person who chooses compassion, the believer who prays even when answers seem slow.
Sometimes new life grows from places that look cut down.
Sometimes peace begins in the heart before it takes shape in the world.
Sometimes God’s work is felt before it is fully seen.
Today’s readings invite us to live with a renewed sense of trust and openness—believing that God is doing something beautiful and lasting, even when we cannot yet see the full picture.
If we bring to God a heart that is humble and childlike, we will begin to notice signs of His kingdom everywhere: in small reconciliations, quiet acts of kindness, unexpected strength, and new beginnings that emerge from old wounds.
May we welcome the Messiah who brings peace.
May we look with hearts open enough to see God’s work.
And may we trust that the God who sprouted life from a stump can bring new life to every place in us—and in our world—that longs for renewal.
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