December 6, 2025
Matthew 3: 1-12
Imagine this: you are walking through a forest, or along a tree-lined street. And then you see a tree stump, looking lifeless. You get closer, take another look, and you see shoots of green growing out of this seemingly dead stump, or up its side. What a great symbol of hope Isaiah offers and then describes the many amazing ways things will change for the better. It’s a wonderful message for our times when there is so much injustice, ruthlessness, and conflict everywhere.
In the third chapter of his gospel, Matthew introduces John the Baptist (could he be the “shoot”?) He, too, speaks of trees, but in this case trees that will lose their life because they have not yielded fruit – they can yield no new shoots. John promises that one greater than he will baptize, not with water but with the Holy Spirit and fire. John is but a precursor of the One who will come from Jesse’s root. Unlike John’s baptism “with water, for repentance,” the “shoot” of which Isaiah spoke will help us to see with new vision and with hearts on fire.
For all of us across the globe there are many “stumps” manifested as all kinds of injustice, kidnappings, killings, rejection of immigrants, hunger, homelessness, degradation of land, so much it is impossible to name it all. Nevertheless “shoots” are sprouting up as people with new vision and with hearts on fire, do what they can to bring the stumps to new life.
What can we do? What can I do? For some of us, political activism is the answer, or accompanying those who suffer the indignities thrust upon them, or many other ways. For others of us, action may be beyond our abilities. But all of us can pray. Sometimes it feels that “praying” is just not enough. If we can think of prayer as sending love into those people, institutions, legal and judicial bodies that uproot the “shoots” perhaps they can be opened to a new vision. And all of us can demonstrate our support to those who can do more, by thanking them or relieving them of some responsibilities.
We believe, don’t we, that where there is one SND, we are all there! So we can all be “shoots” from the “stump” of Jesse with the new vision Jesus has given us to set our hearts on fire for all the peoples of our world. We live in HOPE.
Matthew 3: 1-12
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Meet Sister Edithann Kane, SNDdeN
