Second Sunday of Advent
Reading
I
Bar 5:1-9
put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
bear on your head the mitre
that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
you will be named by God forever
the peace of justice, the glory of God's worship.
Up,
look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:
but God will bring them back to you
borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
be filled to level ground,
that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
have overshadowed Israel at God's command;
for God is leading Israel in joy
by the light of his glory,
with his mercy and justice for company.
Responsorial
Psalm
Ps 126:1-2, 2-3,
4-5, 6
R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Ten they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Reading
II
Phil
1:4-6, 8-11
Brothers and sisters:
I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
Gospel
Lk 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
Commentary
Baruch, to whom today’s First Reading is attributed, had been Jeremiah’s secretary, and probably accompanied the prophet into exile in Babylonia after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. When the Persian ruler Cyrus defeated the Babylonians, he decreed the return of the conquered peoples to their homelands and thus around 539 BC, the Jewish exiles were free to return to their land. Not all returned, however, and these became known as the Jews of the Diaspora. These Jews lived in colonies throughout Mesopotamia and Egypt. Those that remained faithful to Judaism flourished both spiritually and temporally. They would gather in their synagogues, and in time produced their own inspired books among which were the books of Lamentations, Tobit, Esther, Judith, Wisdom and Baruch. Today’s First Reading echoes the joy of Jerusalem at the return of her children. Jerusalem is called to stand upon the heights and watch her exiled children return home lead by God himself.
In the Second Reading, Paul is thankful because the Philippians have been openly sharing the Gospel from the time the community was founded until the present. He is also thankful that God who worked through him to establish this community will one day bring that work to completion. Although Paul is imprisoned he continues to hold the community of Philippi close to his heart as evidenced in the warmth expressed in this letter.
Today’s Gospel Reading begins the preparation for Jesus’ public ministry. John is God’s prophet but he does not belong to the period of promise, rather he is the prophet who inaugurates the period of fulfillment. John becomes a wandering preacher who prepares the way of Jesus in fulfillment of God’s prophecy through Gabriel (Lk 1:15-17), and his father Zechariah (Lk 1:76-79). John’s ministry, like Jesus’, will be for all. Luke makes it clear that John is not the Messiah since his baptism must be completed by faith in Jesus and the gift of the Spirit. Beneath the literary beauty of today’s reading however, lies the harsh reality of man’s negative response to God’s word and its messenger.
The 15th year of Tiberius Caesar seems to be either August or September between the years 28-29 AD. Pontius Pilate was prefect of Judea from 26-36 AD. He symbolizes the authority of Rome to crucify Jesus. Luke will focus greater attention to Pilate later in his Gospel, thus underscoring his participation in Jesus’ death. Luke completes his list of secular rulers by mentioning sons of Herod the Great: Herod, known as Herod Antipas (tetrarch of Galilee from 4BC – 39 AD), Philip (tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis from 4 BC – 34 AD) and Lysanias whose history is obscure. Luke will have a lot of negative things to say about Herod Antipas, especially since neither John nor Jesus fare well at his hands. The religious leaders mentioned by Luke join the secular leaders in their rejection of John and eventually Jesus. Annas was the Temple high priest from 6-15 AD and his son-in-law Caiaphas ruled from 18-37 AD. The list of characters thus provided by Luke present a bleak scenario of how humanity responds to God’s messengers.
Reflection
The liturgy from this Second Sunday of Advent calls us to prepare for the coming Lord by listening and changing our hearts. For centuries the prophets urged the people of God to listen to his voice and to change. John the Baptist, son of Zechariah and precursor to Jesus the Messiah, inaugurated the time of fulfillment with an even greater urgency for the people to listen and to change: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low.” Sadly, John suffered the same fate of the earlier prophets. For the most part, the people did not listen and their hearts remained unchanged. They continued to allow themselves to be led by their passions. Things have not changed much since the time Luke wrote his Gospel. Even though Christianity as a whole has become the religion with the greatest number of followers, many still turn a deaf ear to the call of John the Baptist and even Jesus himself.
For many people, including a large number of Christians, the season of Advent is a foreign concept. For these, the Christmas season began even before their Thanksgiving turkey got cold. Traditionally in this country, the Christmas shopping season begins the day after Thanksgiving and many people getting caught in society’s trap of consumption, believe this to be the start of the Christian celebration. The news was full of headlines about smart shoppers, bargain hunters, dedicated parents and people who braved the elements to find that perfect gift. The television was full of images of “good Christian parents” fighting with one another to buy that one perfect gift before supplies ran out. Several people were trampled by the overzealous crowds and were hospitalized. And while these images were being flashed on the television, people that were interviewed exclaimed: “This is what it’s all about!” In my opinion, they have absolutely no idea what anything is about. They are being led (or should I say misled) because they are listening to the voice of the world instead of the voice of God. Their hearts are being turned towards the material things that the world holds in high esteem instead of being turned to the divine which holds the only real treasure. Today’s world, and those who lead it including some religious leaders, is no different from that of Luke’s Gospel in today’s reading, yet even though we must live in this world, Christ must live in us. Let today’s call from John the Baptist to "Prepare the way of the Lord, and make straight his paths” be for us an invitation to prepare our hearts to welcome in the Christ child.
Biblical Sources
New American Bible; Brown, R. K., and Comfort, P. W. (trans.) and Douglas, J. D., (ed.) “The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament”; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Koch, K., “The Prophets”; Rost, L., “Judaism Outside The Hebrew Canon”; Getty, M. A., “Philippians and Philemon”; Houlden, J. L., Paul’s Letters from Prison”; Fitzmyer, J. A., “The Gospel According to Luke”; LaVerdiere, E., “Luke”; Maddox, R., “The Purpose of Luke-Acts”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.
Reflection by
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa