Those in high places and found in lofty cities are “trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.” They are leveled with the dust. These are the proud and unjust according to Isaiah that are tumbled and trampled. If we trust these people, we are like fools who have built their houses on sand, so says Matthew (7:21, 24-27). When the rains fall, the floods come, and the winds blow and buffet our houses, they collapse and are completely ruined.
Do we hear the footsteps of the poor? Do we have houses of sand?
The powerful and oft-repeated Canticle of Mary (Magnificat) speaks to the fate of the proud, rich, and mighty. It reads:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his humble servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed, the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm; he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.
We think of Mary during Advent since she is the one for whom great things were done. We also hear footsteps and see those footsteps in the sand we should not use to build our houses.
Deacon David Pierce
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