Second Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 4
Reading 1
On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the
stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
a spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
but he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land's afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.
On that day, the root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
the Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (cf. 7) Justice
shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
he shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for
ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for
ever.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for
ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for
ever.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction,
that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.
May the God of endurance and encouragement
grant you to think in harmony with one another,
in keeping with Christ Jesus,
that with one accord you may with one voice
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you,
for the glory of God.
For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised
to show God's truthfulness,
to confirm the promises to the patriarchs,
but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written:
Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles
and sing praises to your name.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:
all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the
desert of Judea
and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel's hair
and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves,
'We have Abraham as our father.'
For I tell you,
God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor
and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Whatever conflicts or trials that we may be facing in our lives, can be made better through Jesus Christ. This is the concept of the Suffering Christ, whom we as Christians are encouraged to unite ourselves to regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in. Christ suffered and died for our sins so that we may receive everlasting life. Because of this, we already know the outcome of our life-story: we are destined to be reunited with our God and partake in the birthright that we are entitled to as Children of God. If this is our ultimate destiny, then why do we struggle with things that don’t measure up in their importance in comparison to what we have already achieved and received? What can this existence offer us that can be raised higher in value and importance to that which has already been offered to us from God? We should allow our entire perspective in relation to us being participators in this world to be changed with the understanding that God is with us and, as long as we remain in Him, there can be nobody against us.
One of the great motivators in society is conflict. There are constant forces which are opposing each other with the intent of overwhelming or defeating each other. There are those who have a lot, while there are others who have very little. The less fortunate often find themselves serving the fortunate with a desire to lift themselves to a higher status. There is the presence of power conflicts and opposing interests at work, with people taking positions based on their self-interests. Jesus Christ can be a major factor contributing to ending these cycles of needs and wants. He is the ultimate equalizer when it comes to ending such things in society and within us.
In the Scripture Reading from Isaiah today, Jesus Christ reveals himself as this equalizer. It is through Him that we can encounter peace. Whatever competing interests there might be that are fueling our lives, these can be set aside with the knowledge that it is Jesus who should take on a central position and that of the utmost importance in our lives. Putting Jesus first, positions Himself as the gate from which we can pass and filter all things, words, and actions through the concept of Him offering to us a new life and a new way at looking at things. With the presence of Jesus comes a special peace and understanding that just isn’t present without Him.
God is pure love. It is through love that His creation came into existence. From love, peace flows forth and can be uninterrupted if we allow it to be as such. Last week, we were encouraged to focus on Hope. Having that expectation about our future and eternity with God, should bring about a spiritual peace which then extends to all people that we interact with. A gradual separation from this world and a realignment of values is necessary to complete the picture. God tells us through Isaiah that Jesus will come and bring about peace. What was out of balance and corrupted will become balanced and uncorrupted through Jesus. He never causes any problems but always seems to be the one who fixes them. We too can be fixed and be emersed in the peace that His presence promotes. Fath is the vehicle that can take us to that peace and benefit from our interaction with it. Hope, love, and peace become inseparable
Praying for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and peace in our lives serves as an invitation for God not only to participate, but to also take control. Having Him direct and guide us instead of ourselves ensures that we will find ourselves in a much better place. As God said through Jeremiah:
“Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,”
If we resist being molded and fashioned, we will turn out badly. Furthermore, if we try to mold ourselves, no good can result. It is only through our Creator, who fashioned us from dust, that we can become a masterpiece.
The cry of Saint John the Baptist in the desert, is a message for all of us. Repentance with a commitment to do better sets us on a path towards God. Entering into prayer and surrendering to Him, allows us to stay on that path. When this happens, God is with us and peace and serenity will result.
Deacon Tom
