Second Sunday of Advent

Lectionary: 4

Reading 1

Is 11:1-10

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

Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

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

Rom 15:4-9

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

Lk 3:4, 6

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

Mt 3:1-12

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,

On this Second Sunday of Advent we are encouraged to meditate on the peace that comes with the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives and the lives of everyone throughout God’s creation. Even though it is good to look forward with expectation to that glorious time when Jesus will return in all His glory, we should also be reminded that He is also with us now. It is impossible to separate Him from that which He has created. The only way that can happen is when we separate ourselves from Jesus voluntarily, using our free will to turn away from Him and prevent Him from entering a relationship with us. When this happens, there are consequences that will be experienced, all of which are bad. Without Jesus, there is no peace. Without Jesus, there is no Joy. We can try to convince ourselves otherwise, but the evidence in society today is obvious. When we do not follow the teachings of Jesus, then what is left to follow is developed through human influence which, by its very origin, is corrupted.

 

The Apostle Paul provides instruction on how we should obtain peace and serenity in our lives now, while also reminding us of what our final destination is to be. We should gain constant spiritual nourishment and wisdom through Sacred Scripture, using it as both a tool of instruction and a way to understand God more deeply. To know God is to love God. The more that we know Him, the deeper our relationship becomes. As Jesus Said, “When two or three are gathered in my name, I am in your midst.” His presence will manifest itself in all of actions and words if He is the focus. Peace comes as a result. It is inevitable. Our will is turned over to Him and we become one voice glorifying God.

 

 

As John the Baptist exhorted everyone to repent to prepare for the coming of The Kingdom of God, we are encouraged to do the same thing. We must be in a constant state of preparing ourselves for the coming of our savior. We look towards the future, but also prepare ourselves now because it is all for our benefit; in the present and forever. Our salvation begins here and then continues forever. The vision of God’s holy mountain in Isaiah is that of a new heaven and new earth through Jesus the Son of God crushing all that opposes the goodness of God and bringing all His creation to perfection. This is occurring now. In the Office of Readings Morning Prayer today, there is a wonderful antiphon sung before one of the Psalms,

 

“Zion is our mighty citadel, our saving Lord its wall and its defense; throw open the gates, for our God is here among us, alleluia.”

 

If we are open to the presence of God in our lives, we will have all the benefits of a relationship with Him. We will have all the power of heaven with us with constant victory over everything that opposes us, for we are journeying towards something greater than anything this world can offer. When we are united with God, we are above all that is physical in this world. The physical can never conquer the spiritual, for the spiritual created the physical, the spiritual coming from God.

 

But what is meant by victory? We cannot think of victory in the human sense, with power and validation. It goes back to the sense of hope and peace that is brought about with Jesus Christ in our lives. His will taking precedent over ours has already brought about victory. This victory will bring about joy, enabling us to love and be loved. That love becomes the defining that that separates us from all other things in this world and unites us together into one body, one body in Jesus Christ. That is what is meant by victory. Victory through peace. Victory through the love of God.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

First Sunday of Advent

Lectionary: 1

Reading 1

Is 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
the mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my brothers and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Reading 2

Rom 13:11-14

Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light;
let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day,
not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in promiscuity and lust,
not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Alleluia

Cf. Ps 85:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Show us Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

At the beginning of this Advent Season we are encouraged to focus intently on what Jesus Christ promises us: that He will come again in glory to judge the living and dead. We are also encouraged to discern our conduct in relation to this understanding. What we say and do should be in direct relation to the expectations we have. If we truly believe that we are destined to be with our God and are to receive all that is afforded to us as His children, then we should conduct ourselves as such. Just as we have certain expectations of our God fulfilling His promises, so He has expectations of us. The works of darkness, sin, that the Apostle Paul mentions today should be cast aside in favor of the better way that Jesus Christ offers. As Jesus said,

 

“Much will be required of the person of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

 

In other words, ignorance can no longer be an excuse for us because we already know better. We have also been entrusted with the Word of God and should have already embraced it. This embracing is merely a first step. We now must get out of our own way and use what we have as a guiding force in our lives.

 

The readings today serve as both encouragement and a warning. We have been made aware of certain things and have also been told what to do in our positions as Christians and God’s children. Being ever watchful of events around us, we maintain an understanding that certain things will come to pass that are to be accepted as God’s will. It is how we conduct ourselves in reaction to these that matters. We should look beyond these things and to what the result is going to be. That is the victory of Jesus Christ over all things. This should bring a sense of security and a feeling of joy. Whatever discord we perceive is merely a temporary affair where the storm will indeed pass and there will be serenity forever.

 

It is easy to be invited into the fears and anxieties of this world, but as long as we bear the armor of light, these feelings can easily dissipate. What remains will be a sense of expectation and peace. This is what the First Sunday of Advent is all about: the expectation of things to come. Our savior, Jesus Christ, will come again to guide us towards an eternity with Him. We should let these things be a guiding factor during this wonderful season. Through prayer and meditation, worship, and the quest for wisdom, we can be fully prepared to walk with Christ now and forever.

 

Deacon Tom