There is no Ash Wednesday for Advent, no day before the first Sunday to let us know what’s coming. But the readings today, on the feast of St. Andrew, have that feel. They echo the prophets. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the one bringing good news!” Isaiah once cried. “At this moment on the mountains,” cried Nahum, “the footsteps of one announcing peace!” Shhhh. Listen. Can you hear them drawing near, the distant footfalls of the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs, and the saints? They are coming, bearing good news, bringing tidings of peace. It’s all about to begin. How beautiful are their feet!
—Excerpted from 2017: A Book of Grace-Filled Days by Amy Andrews
