First Wednesday of Advent
Saint Francis Xavier
3 December 2025
The God Who Heals and Satisfies
Yesterday Isaiah showed us that God brings new life out of what seems lifeless…
a shoot rising from the stump of Jesse.
Today, Isaiah expands that vision
and shows us not simply new life,
but a new world,
a restored world,
a healed world.
And he does it with one of the most moving promises in all of Scripture.
“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples.”
Isaiah sees God preparing a feast
—rich, abundant, overflowing—
and gathering all peoples to Himself.
But the food is not the most important part.
God is serving something far greater:
- destruction of the shroud of sorrow
- removal of disgrace
- the wiping away of every tear
- the end of death itself
What a breathtaking vision:
God bending down to wipe the tears from every face.
Today, as we continue Advent,
Isaiah is telling us something essential:
the God we are waiting for is the God who heals us.
The God who restores,
who lifts burdens,
who brings joy where grief once ruled.
Advent is not merely about preparing for a date on the calendar.
It is about awakening a deeper hunger for the God who meets our deepest needs.
Today’s memorial also presents us with one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church.
Saint Francis Xavier crossed oceans,
learned languages,
lived in poverty,
and poured himself out for people who had never heard the name of Jesus.
He baptized tens of thousands,
cared for the poor and sick,
and died on the threshold of China
still yearning to bring the Gospel farther.
What drove him?
Not ambition.
Not adventure.
Not recognition.
He believed—with absolute conviction—that what Isaiah promised
and what Jesus fulfilled
was for all peoples.
He believed every person deserved the chance to know the God who wipes away tears and heals hearts.
In him we see Advent lived boldly.
Francis Xavier reminds us that Advent is not passive waiting.
It is missionary longing,
a desire for Christ to come not only to us,
but through us.
Isaiah said God would gather all peoples on His mountain
and remove sorrow from their lives.
In the Gospel,
Jesus climbs a mountain
—and the crowds bring Him the blind, the lame, the mute, the broken.
Scripture tells us:
“They placed them at His feet,
and He cured them.”
What Isaiah foresaw,
Jesus now accomplishes in real faces, real wounds, real stories.
And then,
just as Isaiah promised a great feast,
Jesus multiplies bread for thousands.
He feeds them not only spiritually,
but physically,
because God cares about the whole person.
He satisfies the hunger of heart and body alike.
In Jesus,
Isaiah’s vision is no longer a prophecy…
it is happening.
But Advent reminds us that the fullness is still coming.
Jesus heals the sick on the mountain,
but the world still suffers.
He wipes tears in the Gospel,
but tears still fall today.
He feeds the hungry,
and yet people still go without.
Advent holds together two truths:
- God has begun His work of restoration.
- God will complete it when He comes again.
This keeps us grounded in hope,
not wishful thinking.
It teaches us patience,
not passivity.
It teaches us courage,
not fear.
And it invites us to do what the crowd did in the Gospel:
bring people to the feet of Jesus.
Bring Him those who grieve.
Bring Him those who hunger.
Bring Him those needing healing of body or heart.
Bring Him even your own wounds and weariness.
He is the God who heals,
and He delights in doing it.
As Advent unfolds,
the Scriptures are building a picture day by day:
Yesterday, the God who brings new life.
Today, the God who wipes away tears and feeds His people.
Tomorrow, the God who strengthens the weary and renews hope again.
So today,
bring your hunger, your wounds, your tears, your hopes.
And let the Lord gather you on His mountain.
For the One we await is not distant.
He is near,
He is healing,
and He is preparing a feast for His people.
Saint Francis Xavier, pray for us.