Saturday of the First Week of Advent

REFLECTION:

I was invited to visit a 5th-grade class in one of our diocesan schools to answer their questions about heaven, hell, and purgatory. The teacher said, “Father, my students have been asking deep questions… can you come help?” And they truly did not disappoint. One question led to another, and then a student raised his hand and asked a question many adults still wrestle with: “If God loves us, why would He let us fall?”

I answered by drawing a simple picture. I drew a single, straight pathway and said: “Imagine God telling us, Stay on this path and you will be good in life.” But just like hikers in Hawai‘i, we often like to create our own trails. We say, “Nah… I kinda like this other path. It looks mysterious… exciting.” God gently says, “No, stay on the path.” But we think we know better, so we take our own route. I asked the student, “Is it God’s fault for letting us walk that way, or is it our choice?” The student quietly said, “Ours.”

That moment captured the heart of Isaiah’s message today.

Isaiah reminds us that even when we choose the wrong path, God never responds with abandonment. He doesn’t delete the map. He doesn’t give up on us. Instead, He becomes even more present, even more gentle, even more persistent.

“You shall hear a voice behind you saying, This is the way; walk in it.”

What a beautiful image of God’s love. Even when we wander, He walks behind us—close enough to whisper, patient enough to wait, loving enough to guide us back. We may hear His voice in Scripture… in our conscience… in the people He places in our life… in the tug of the Holy Spirit that will not let us stay lost.

And Isaiah promises that when we turn back to Him, something remarkable happens: the barren places begin to bloom again. Rain falls. Grain grows. Light returns sevenfold. God doesn’t just restore what was lost—He overflows the land with blessing.

This is the God who doesn’t say, “I told you so,” but instead says, “Welcome home. Let’s begin again.”

Advent is our season of returning to the path. It’s the quiet whisper of God saying, “Come back… walk with Me… let Me guide you.” We prepare not by perfection, but by turning—turning away from the trails we carved on our own, turning back toward the path God marked with mercy and hope. Advent is not about being afraid of getting lost; it is about trusting that God always provides the way home.

Like the 5th grader’s question, Advent asks us: If God loves us, why would He let us fall? Perhaps it is because love gives freedom… and perfect love also gives a way back.

Isaiah proclaims that when we turn toward Him again, God’s guidance becomes unmistakable, and blessings begin to flow in places we thought were empty or beyond repair.



As we continue this Advent journey, may we listen for the whisper behind us: “This is the way.” And may we have the courage to walk in it.