On Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (30: 27-33, 31: 4-9) entitled "Jerusalem is delivered from the power of Assyria". Our treasure, which follows, is from The Imitation of Christ.
The Imitation of Christ, a deeply spiritual book by Thomas à Kempis which speaks often of humility, suffering for Christ, prayer, purity, simplicity, wisdom, patience, meekness and other such virtues. Throughout the book, readers find themselves experiencing the peace and wisdom that have comforted believers from all corners of the world. This consoling guide show readers how better to live the life of a Christian by closely following Christ's example. The Imitation of Christ enables those seeking guidance in the midst of today's challenges to find encouragement to imitate Christ in many of life's situations.
Isaiah, one of the greatest of the prophets, appeared at a critical moment in Israel's history. The Northern Kingdom collapsed, under the hammerlike blows of Assyria, in 722/721 B.C., and in 701 Jerusalem itself saw the army of Sennacherib drawn up before its walls. In the year that Uzziah, king of Judah, died, Isaiah received his call to the prophetic office in the Temple of Jerusalem. Close attention should be given to chapter six, where this divine summons to be the ambassador of the Most High is circumstantially described.
The vision of the Lord enthroned in glory stamps an indelible character on Isaiah's ministry and provides a key to the understanding of his message. The majesty, holiness and glory of the Lord took possession of his spirit and, at the same time, he gained a new awareness of human pettiness and sinfulness. The enormous abyss between God's sovereign holiness and human sinfulness overwhelmed the prophet. Only the purifying coal of the seraphim could cleanse his lips and prepare him for acceptance of the call: "Here I am, send me!"
The ministry of Isaiah extended from the death of Uzziah in 742 B.C. to Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C., and it may have continued even longer, until after the death of Hezekiah in 687 B.C. Later legend (the Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah) claims that Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, executed Isaiah by having him sawed in two. During this long ministry, the prophet returned again and again to the same themes, and there are indications that he may have sometimes re-edited his older prophecies to fit new occasions.
