In yesterday's reading, Isaiah announced the coming of the Saviour. Today, he desribes, very vividly, his personality and his mission. He stands out as a most attractive figure at the same time both strong and gentle. Like a scion he 'thrusts from his roots' and leaps into history, with a spirit-filled dynamism, glorious in wisdom and power. And yet his strength is tempered by integrity and faithfulness which 'do not judge by appearances' but rather radiate peace and harmony throughout the whole of creation. Then all nations, and we took, will know the Lord for whom we long, when we approach 'his holy mountain'.

In the Gospel, we meet the same spirit-filled Jesus as foretold by Isaiah, but at a more intimate level. Jesus who leads the 'little ones' to a deeper knowledge of the Lord. And if we can only open our minds and hearts in awe and receptivity like them, He will give us too a glimpse of the delight and excitement that He experiences in the Father, through the Spirit and the Father experiences in Him. Then, like His disciples, we will have seen what so many long to see. And that will be the source of our joy.