In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:2-5 NIV)

Isaiah heard some daring words. He is the prophet of consolation and encouragement. And yet what he affirms here sounds somewhat unreal. He speaks to a people which seems to be at the end of its rope.

History will end differently, he says, than what the current situation seems to suggest. The mountain on which the Lord’s house is found will prevail over everything. God’s loving presence will remain in his city, with his people. It will have consequences for the entire world.

In the end, human beings will search for God in this people. Many nations, indeed the whole world, will come together on the mountain of God s presence. Such love between God and his followers will leave no one indifferent.

And God’s Word, God’s Law, will extricate human beings from the folly of hatred and destruction. It will build. It will found a culture, agriculture and viticulture to produce bread and wine. War will be shown to be a dead-end street. The aspiration of peoples for another way forward will be satisfied.

In this way, the other nations will recognize the God of Israel as the true God, and therefore as their God, too: in the light of a love which is tangible and selfless, never taken away, that no power can conquer, that remains even in days of darkness—and that is destined for all.

What Isaiah hears is not an illusion. On the mountain, in the city, Jesus fulfilled history for all peoples. The end of time and his love manifested to the end, on the cross, are shown to be one and the same thing. As the Risen Lord, he is the way for all.

Christ is the ultimate reality, wrote Saint Paul. In himself he put hatred to death and nothing can separate us from the love revealed in him. On our road threatened by violence and division we welcome him, and we already receive his peace under the appearance of bread and wine.

 What does it mean to look at our life and our world in the light of God? What do we see?

 Where do we discover what attracts in the Church?

 What can we do so that the roads of different peoples come together?