Magical realism and the word of the Lord (Advent 2B; Isaiah 40:1-11)

To receive these posts by email each Monday, sign up.

For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.

This spring, I found myself seeking out magical realism. The slippery nature of that narrative style, showing what might be against what is, seemed like exactly what I needed in a world that changed so rapidly. When it was difficult to discern what was true in reality, turning to a fictional space of mysterious truth was a consolation.