WORDS FROM FATHER YOHANES: New Growth from What Is Broken

By Father Yohanes Akoit

One of the sources of faith inspiration offered by the Church is the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1‑10. It is given for reflecting on the Second Sunday of Advent. This prophecy tells us about the coming of the Prince of Peace, born from the family line of King David. His presence is not described as a simple birth, from the honored womb of a woman and raised in love. Instead, it is shown as survival. There is pain and there are wounds, yet the Prince of Peace is able to overcome them. The prophet says: “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.”

Verbatim, it speaks of a branch that has been cut down, broken. The picture is clear: a tree once strong has fallen, leaving only a stump. But from that stump, a small shoot begins to grow. Life comes out of what looked dead. Hope rises from what was broken. The brokenness does not end the story. It becomes the very place where new life begins. The message is survival: new growth from what is broken, strength rising where all seemed lost.

That new shoot growing from the broken branch is the King. Its dimension is the strength to overcome, the courage to go beyond, and the grace to survive. Like a tender shoot, it grows not by its own strength but becomes great through divine providence. It is nurtured by the Creator, by God. It matures in wisdom. It does not harbor resentment against the tragedy that broke its root. Instead, it grows into wisdom, lives in the light of God, and upholds divine justice. When it becomes a great tree, wolf and lamb, leopard and goat, calf and lion, and humankind dwell together in peace beneath its shade. Even there, a child will not be harmed while playing near a venomous serpent.

This prophecy is offered by the Church as the foundation for reflecting on the Second Sunday of Advent. We are invited to contemplate the life of the Prince of Peace. Born out of brokenness. Growing through scars that never fully fade. Without resentment, without despair. Reconciling with the bitterness of the past. Living in harmony and becoming a blessing for others.

Brokenness, wounds, and disappointment are conditions that shape our lives. They leave marks that are hard to heal. The pain remains raw. Some wounds stay open, bleeding easily when struck by similar experiences. Their shadows disturb the heart and steal away peace. This prophecy invites us to reflect together. To contemplate the Prince of Peace who was born from brokenness and wounds. Growing amid pressure and pain, yet striving to harmonize himself in peace and joy.

We are invited to see the bitter experiences of life: failure and disappointment, weakness and fragility, betrayal and wounds. And so, the question arises: how can we make peace with our bitterness? What must we do so that life may keep growing, free from resentment, free from complaint? Advent is a season of reflection, a season to begin again. It is a time to let go of the weight of the past and to open us to hope.

The Prince of Peace comes to nurture the tender shoots that struggle to grow in this holy time, advent season. He waters them with grace, strengthens them with light, and shelters them with love. In His presence, what is broken can heal. What is fragile can stand. And what is wounded can blossom into peace.

Father Yohanes Akoit is pastor of St. Julian and St. Anthony Catholic churches in Kentucky.