24th DECEMBER (morning)

A reading from the second book of Samuel (7:1-5, 8-12, 14-16)

Once the king had settled into his house and the Lord had granted him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a cedar-wood house, while the ark of God is housed in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that very night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus says the Lord, Are you to build me a house for me to live in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you wherever you went; I have cut off all your enemies for you. I am making your fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I am providing a place for my people Israel; I shall plant them there, and there they will live and never be disturbed again; nor will they be oppressed by the wicked any more, as they were in former times, ever since the time when I instituted judges to govern my people Israel; and I shall grant you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also tells you that he will make you a House. And when your days are over and you fall asleep with your ancestors, I shall appoint your heir, your own son to succeed you, and I shall make his sovereignty secure. I shall be a father to him and he a son to me. Your house and your sovereignty will ever stand firm before me and your throne be for ever secure.” ’

The decision of David to build a ‘house’ (bayit) for the Lord is the context for a long speech of the Lord transmitted by the prophet Nathan. No clear reason is given why David should not build the temple, except that it is God who builds him a house. The promise of God’s solidarity extends to David’s son, Solomon, who will indeed build a temple, but the text is quickly understood as a foundation for the messianic promise.

Psalm 89 (88) The Lord makes a covenant with David, his servant (‘ebed), and promises his enduring love (hesed).

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:67-79)

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and set them free,
and he has established for us a saving power
in the House of his servant David,
just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
salvation from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our ancestors,
and remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us, free from fear, delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and righteousness
in his presence, all our days.
And you, child, shall be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his ways,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by forgiveness of their sins,
by the heartfelt mercy of our God
by which the dawn from on high will visit us,
to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into
the way of peace.’

This final gospel of Advent is appropriately a song of thanksgiving, the Benedictus, which is prayed at Morning Prayer throughout the church. Zechariah provides words for God’s people to acknowledge that God has ‘looked favourably on his people and set them free’. The ‘saving power’, literally ‘horn of salvation’ (keras soterias), is clearly a reference to the coming Saviour. God has demonstrated mercy (eleos) to the ancestors in the past, but a new deed is being prepared. Specifically, Zechariah thanks God for his child John and for his mission of going before the Lord ‘to prepare his ways’ (Isaiah 40:3). The ‘dawn from on high’ (anatole ex hupsous) will visit God’s people, bringing light to those ‘in darkness and the shadow of death’ (Isaiah 9:1), and guiding our feet ‘into the way of peace’.

How do the two canticles invite our response to the Advent readings?

We stand now on the brink of the fulfilment of all God’s promises.

23rd DECEMBER

A reading from the prophet Malachi (3:1-4, 23-24)

‘Look, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his Temple; yes, the angel of the covenant in whom you delight is on his way, says the Lord Sabaoth. Who can endure the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, like fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver so that they can make the offering to the Lord in righteousness. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be acceptable to the Lord as in former days, as in the former years.

‘Look, I shall send you the prophet Elijah before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and of children to their parents so that I shall not strike the land with a curse of destruction.’

The third chapter of the minor prophet Malachi begins with  another reference to ‘my messenger’ (mal’aki), the anonymous prophet to whom the book is attributed. This prophet speaks of the coming of the Lord, described also as ‘the angel (mal’ak) of the covenant’. He will reestablish the covenant by his work of purification. It is the ‘sons of Levi’, the priestly groups, who most of all stand in need of renewal, so that they can once again make their offerings in ‘righteousness’ (tsedaqah), as in the days before the exile. The final two verses are the last verses of the book of Malachi and are likely to be an addition. It speaks about the return of the prophet Elijah ‘before the great and awesome Day of the Lord’. His role is to bring about reconciliation. In this way the ‘curse of destruction’ (herem) will be avoided.

Psalm 25 (24) Once again the Lord intervenes and ‘shows the path to those who stray’.

O Emmanuel,
our king and lawgiver,
hope of the nations and their saviour,
come and save us, Lord our God.

This final ‘O’ antiphon takes up Isaiah 7:14: the child to be born of the ‘young woman’ (‘almah) is to be called ‘God is with us’ (‘immanuel). Isaiah 33:22 proclaims: ‘The Lord is our king, he will save us.’ Zechariah also speaks of the coming ‘king’, ‘righteous’ and ‘victorious’. The Servant of the Lord is made ‘a light to the nations’ and brings salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6).

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:57-66)

The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son; and her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had lavished his mercy on her, and they shared her joy.

Now it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up, saying, ‘No, he shall be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name,’ and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed and he began to speak praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it took it to heart, saying, ‘What then is this child to be?’ And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

The report of the birth of John is brief, and her ‘neighbours and relations’ acknowledge the great ‘mercy’ (eleos) of God shown to Elizabeth. The eighth day is the day of circumcision and naming, and it is the naming that commands attention. Before being struck dumb Zechariah had been told that the name of the child was to be ‘John’ (Ioannes) (1:13). But now it is his mother who, in the absence of words from his father, maintains that his name is to be ‘John’, despite the fact that ‘no one in your family has that name’. The father writes ‘His name is John’, and his speech returns. The giving of a new name, which means ‘God is merciful’ (yehohanan), is a sign of a new time of forgiveness and hope, and a clear message of mercy from God. It is no surprise that the word ‘mercy’ (eleos) is found twice in each of the two canticles which bracket this story (1:50,54 and 1:72,78). The extraordinary events at the circumcision of John raise the question from all those who ‘took it to heart’ saying ‘What is this child to be?’

What is Luke’s purpose in giving such details about John?

Luke gives far more space to the naming than to the actual birth of John.

22nd DECEMBER

A reading from the first book of Samuel (1:24-28)

When Hannah had weaned Samuel, she took him up with her, as well as a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and took him into the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; the child was very young. They sacrificed the bull and led the child to Eli. She said, ‘If you please, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood beside you here, praying to the Lord. This is the child for which I was praying, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. Now I make him over to the Lord. For the whole of his life he is made over to the Lord.’ Then they worshipped the Lord there.

In the time of the Judges, before the taking of Jerusalem by David, and the establishment of the temple in that city, Hannah brings her son Samuel, who will be the last of the Judges of Israel, to the temple in Shiloh, the site of an annual pilgrimage feast. Hannah had long been unable to conceive, and had been ridiculed by Peninah, the other wife of their husband Elkanah. Her prayer in the temple had been witnessed by the priest Eli. After the child has been weaned, she comes to present him in the temple, for her prayer has been answered. She ‘makes him over to the Lord’. He will stay at Shiloh and serve Eli. In return for her sacrifice, she will be blessed with three more sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 2:21).

1 Samuel 2 The canticle of Hannah contains the words: ‘the barren woman bears sevenfold, but the mother of many is left desolate’.

O king of the nations,
desire of all people,
corner-stone making the two into one,
come and save man,
whom you made from clay.

Jeremiah 10:7 heralds the Lord as ‘king of the nations’. ‘Desire of all peoples’ is a phrase found in the Latin Vulgate of Haggai 2:8. Isaiah speaks of a ‘precious corner-stone’ (28:16), and Psalm 118:22 of ‘a stone rejected which becomes the corner stone’. Making ‘the two into one’ is the role of the Messiah in Ephesians 2:14. And ‘moulded from clay’ takes us back to the origins of human beings according to Genesis 2:7.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:46-56)

And Mary said:

‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
since he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
For see, from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name,
and his mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.
He has exerted the power of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their heart.
He has taken down princes from thrones and raised up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
of his mercy to Abraham and his descendants for ever.’

Mary stayed with Elizabeth some three months and then went back home.

This prayer of praise and thanksgiving placed on the lips of Mary by the evangelist is the prayer of the church every evening at Evening Prayer. The personal thanksgiving in the opening verses for the ‘great things’ the Lord has done ‘for me’ is transformed into an extended eulogy of the ‘mercy’ (eleos) of God shown ‘to those who fear him’ over the generations. God’s intervention in favour of the lowly and the hungry contrasts with his rejection of the proud, the princes and the rich. The final focus is on God’s deeds for Israel ‘his servant’, according to the promise made of ‘mercy’ (eleos) to Abraham and his descendants. The concluding statement that Mary remained with Elizabeth ‘some three months’ hints that she remained until the birth of John.

How central is mercy to the message of the gospel?

The Magnificat is modelled on the prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2.

21st DECEMBER

A reading from the Song of Songs (2:8-14)

She

The voice of my love!
See how he comes
leaping on the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My love is like a gazelle,
like a young stag.
See where he stands
behind our wall.
He looks in at the window,
peering through the opening.
My love lifts up his voice,
he says to me:

He

Come then, my love,
my lovely one, come.
For see, winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers are appearing on the earth.
The season of songs has come,
the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree is putting forth its figs
and the blossoming vines give out their fragrance.
Come then, my beloved,
my lovely one, come!
My dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock,
in the coverts of the cliff,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet
and your face is lovely.

The Song of Songs, a biblical gem, is a celebration of love. First a woman (She), and then her lover (He), speak in this reading. The woman yearns for the ‘beloved’ who is coming, and this has been understood also as the yearning of God’s people for the Messiah. She envisages him as ‘leaping on the mountains’, which evokes the story of the Visitation, in which Mary travels through the ‘hill country’. In travelling with her child to visit the pregnant Elizabeth she brings about the first meeting of the Lord with the people he loves. The words of the ‘beloved’ in turn express his longing to meet the woman again, now that ‘winter is past’, for her ‘voice is sweet’, and her ‘face is lovely’, and also suggest the desire of the Messiah to be united with his people, his ‘love’. This intimate evocation of love invites a deeper appreciation of human love, and acknowledges the profound yearning to meet the Lord which lies in the human heart, as well as the Lord’s longing to meet those he loves.

Alternative first reading

A reading from the prophet Zephaniah (3:14-18)

Shout for joy, daughter Zion,
Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has removed your sentence;
he has turned your enemy away.
The Lord is king among you, Israel:
you have nothing more to fear.
On that Day, it will be said to Jerusalem,
‘Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp.’
The Lord your God is within you,
the saving warrior.
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love,
he will dance with shouts of joy for you
as on a day of festival.
I have taken away your misfortune,
I no longer need you bear to the disgrace of it.

Delight at meeting the loved one is present in this reading too. These words of Zephaniah finish his short book with psalms of joy. It is twice stated that the Lord is ‘in your midst’. This is the reason for the rejoicing. The pain of exile and of separation is ended. It is time for dancing, and the Lord will lead the dance. The Lord will renew Israel with his ‘love’ (’ahabah).

Psalm 33 (32) Waiting for the Lord, and the joy of meeting are evoked here.

O morning star,
radiance of eternal light and sun of justice,
come and enlighten those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Wisdom is described as ‘a reflection of the eternal light’ (Wisdom 7:26; Hebrews 1:3). Malachi reads: ‘for you who revere my name, the sun of justice will rise with healing in his rays’ (3:20). The messianic poem in Isaiah 9 speaks of those who dwell ‘in shadow dark as death’, which is taken up in the Benedictus (Luke 1).

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:39-45)

Mary set out at that time and went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Look, as soon as your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And, blessed is she who believed that what was said to her from the Lord would be fulfilled.’

Straight after the annunciations to Zechariah and to Mary in Luke 1 there follows this delightful tale of Mary travelling to visit Elizabeth. The encounter of the two mothers-to-be is also an encounter of their sons in the womb. Elizabeth is the principal speaker here and she reports that as she received Mary’s greeting the child in her womb ‘leapt for joy’. The child, already ‘filled with the holy Spirit’ (1:15) from his mother’s womb, cannot fail to sense the presence of the Lord. The joy here recalls the rejoicing in the passage from Zephaniah that ‘the Lord is in your midst’.  Having expressed her own faith, Elizabeth commends the faith of Mary.

Which is more significant, the meeting of mothers or the meeting of children?

The words of Elizabeth are joined to the words of Gabriel in the ‘Hail, Mary’.

20th DECEMBER

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (7:10-14)

The Lord spoke to Ahaz again and said:
‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign,
either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.’
But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask. I will not put the Lord to the test.’ He then said:
‘Listen now, House of David!
Not satisfied with trying human patience,
will you try my God’s patience too?
The Lord will give you a sign in any case.
Look, the virgin is with child
and will give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel.

This celebrated messianic text announces a son and heir for king Ahaz, even though his faith is weak, and he prefers to trust in alien gods rather than in the God of Israel. The ‘sign’ announced, the birth of a son, guarantees the continuation of the dynasty of David, despite the king’s faithlessness. The original Hebrew text uses the word ‘almah , which means ‘young woman’. It is the Greek translation which has provided the rendering ‘virgin’ (parthenos). In any case, what is given here is a natural conception of a son for the king. This conception and birth demonstrate God’s continuing faithfulness, that ‘God is with us’, which is the meaning of the Hebrew name ‘immanuel.

Psalm 24(23) The person who ‘desires not worthless things’ will receive the blessings of the Lord.

O key of David, sceptre of the House of Israel,
you open and none can close, you close and none can open,
come to free from prison the captive
who lives in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Eliakim receives the key of the palace, so that, as ‘father’ to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, he may open or close (Isaiah 22:21-22). Apocalypse 3:7 presents Jesus as ‘the holy and true one who has the key of David’ to open and close.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:26-38)

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice full of grace! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and pondered what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Look! You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?’ In answer the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And see, your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she who was said to be barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ Mary said, ‘Here I am, the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her.

The annunciation stories, to Joseph in the gospel of Matthew, and to Zechariah and to Mary in the gospel of Luke, allow the evangelists to proclaim the identity and greatness of the child to be born. While Joseph is told simply that the child he is to call ‘Jesus’ will ‘save his people from their sins’, the annunciation to Mary carries an even richer set of statements about Jesus. He will be ‘great’ and will be called ‘Son of the Most High’. He is to receive the throne of ‘his ancestor David’ and his ‘reign will have no end’. While in Matthew’s gospel the work of Jesus is summed up in the concept of salvation, here in Luke there are features of the messianic promise given to David in 2 Samuel 7. Mary’s question leads to the explanation that she is to conceive ‘by the power of the Most High’, a daunting revelation which Mary accepts in humility with the words ‘Here I am, the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said’.

What might the words ‘full of grace’ mean?

Both Luke and Matthew are clear that the conception of Jesus is ‘from the Holy Spirit’ and by ‘the power of the Most High’.

19th DECEMBER

A reading from the book of Judges (13:2-7, 24-25)

There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife was barren; she had borne no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to this woman and said to her, ‘You are barren and have had no child, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now, be careful not to drink wine or fermented liquor, and eat nothing unclean, for you will conceive and bear a son. No razor is to touch his head, for the boy is to be God’s nazirite from the womb; and he will begin to rescue Israel from the power of the Philistines.’

The woman then went and told her husband, ‘A man of God has just come to me, who looked like the angel of God, so majestic was he. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. But he said to me, “You shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or fermented liquor, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy is to be God’s nazirite from the womb till the day of his death.” ’

The woman gave birth to a son and called him Samson. The child grew, and the Lord blessed him; and the spirit of the Lord began to move him.

Another announcement of the birth of a special child comes in the book of Judges to the wife of Manoah, who is never named. The angel appears first to her, and then on a second occasion when Manoah also speaks with the angel. The instructions about diet first given to the woman are repeated to Manoah. The child, named by his mother as Samson, is to be a ‘nazirite’, vowed to the Lord from conception until death. This pattern of annunciations of birth in the Hebrew Scriptures is naturally taken up for John the Baptist and for Jesus. The spirit of the Lord will be given to Samson, just as the holy Spirit will fill John the Baptist ‘even from his mother’s womb’ (Luke 1:15). But Samson will use the gift of the Spirit for his own selfish ends.

Psalm 71 (70) speaks of God as a ‘rock’. From the womb of the mother God’s support and strength is known.

O root of Jesse,
set up as a sign to the peoples,
kings fall silent before you,
and the peoples acclaim you,
come to save us,
and delay no more.

The great messianic poem speaks of ‘a shoot from the root of Jesse’ (Isaiah 1:1), father of king David. The spirit of the Lord will rest on him. This ‘root’ will ‘stand as a signal for the peoples’ (11:10). Kings fall silent before the servant of the Lord (52:15), and the peoples acclaim him.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:5-25)

It happened that in the days of King Herod of Judaea there was a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron. Both were righteous in the sight of God, living blamelessly in all the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless, for Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years.

Now it happened that in the turn of his section to serve, he was exercising his priestly office before God when it fell to him by lot, as the priestly custom was, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense there. And at the hour of incense all the people were outside, praying.

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right of the altar of incense. Seeing this, Zechariah was disturbed and overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you shall name him John. You will have joy and delight, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine, or strong drink; even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will turn many of the Israelites to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.’ Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I know this? I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in God’s presence, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Look! You will be silenced and unable to speak until this has happened, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.’ Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he was delaying in the sanctuary. When he came out he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. But he could only make signs to them and remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was complete he returned home. After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and for five months she kept to herself, saying, ‘The Lord has done this for me, now that it has pleased him to take away the shame I suffered in public.’

The narrative of the Gospel of Luke begins with the annunciation to Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist. While the annunciation to Mary takes place in the humble home of Nazareth, this announcement happens in the sanctuary of the temple of Jerusalem. There are obstacles to the fulfilment of God’s promise, for Elizabeth is aged and barren. The angel announces that the child is to be named ‘John’, which means ‘the Lord is merciful’, and that his rule of life will exclude wine or strong drink. Filled with the Spirit he will assume the power of Elijah, whose return is proclaimed in Malachi 3, to ‘make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him’. Zechariah’s understandable hesitation is met with the announcement that he is to fall silent, much like the prophet Ezekiel (24:27), until the events come true. The passage ends with the delight of Elizabeth that her ‘shame’ has been removed through the Lord’s gift.

Why does the Lord work in strange and unexpected ways?

The names of John, and of Jesus, make powerful statements about their respective missions.

18th DECEMBER

A reading from the prophet Jeremiah (23:5-8)

‘Look, the days are coming
declares the Lord–
when I shall raise a righteous Branch for David;
he will reign as king and be wise,
doing what is just and righteous in the land.
In his days Judah will triumph
and Israel live in safety.
And this is the name he will be called:
The-Lord-is-our-Saving-Justice.

‘So look, the days are coming – declares the Lord – when people will no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,” but, “As the Lord lives who led back and brought home the offspring of the House of Israel from the land of the north and all the lands to which he had driven them, to live in their own land.” ’

After a history of poor leadership God announces for the days that are coming the arrival of a ‘righteous Branch’, a new king of David’s line. The emphasis is on what is ‘just’ (mishpat) and ‘righteous’ (tsedaqah). This oracle probably arises during the reign of Zedekiah, whose name means ‘The Lord is my justice’, but this final king of Judah brought neither justice nor peace. The coming Messiah, however, will establish true justice, and will be worthy of the name ‘The Lord is our justice’. In the second part of the reading it is stated that the oath by which the Israelites shall swear will no longer be focussed on God who brought Israel out of Egypt, but on God who regathered the house of Israel from all the lands ‘to which he had driven them’, in a new act of deliverance which outshines the former exodus.

Psalm 72 (71) The psalm tells us that the true justice brought by the Messiah involves salvation for the poor and needy.

O Adonai, ruler of the house of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the burning bush,
and gave the law to him on Sinai,
come and save us with outstretched arm.

The ‘O’ antiphon is addressed to ‘Adonai’ (our Lord), whose name is revealed to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3), and who gives the law to him on Sinai (Exodus 20 and 24).

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (1:18-24)

The birth of Jesus the Messiah happened like this. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to disgrace, decided to dismiss her quietly. He had this in mind when suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

Look, the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

which means ‘God-is-with-us’. When Joseph woke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took her as his wife.

Following the opening genealogy, this is the first of five scenes in the first two chapters of Matthew’s gospel which feature the fulfilment of a biblical text. Joseph is the central figure in Matthew’s stories, and in this passage he receives a message from an angel, just as Mary will do in the gospel of Luke. Being ‘righteous’ (dikaios), Joseph is committed to the law of God, but also to kindness and generosity. He responds to the strange request of the angel, and thereby to the voice of God, with a willingness which matches that of Mary, his wife. The story is presented as a fulfilment of Isaiah 7:14, which, in the Greek translation, reads: ‘the virgin (parthenos) is with child and will give birth to a son’. While in the original Hebrew there is no mention of a ‘virgin’, the Greek text is open to such an interpretation which supports the evangelist’s presentation of the virginal conception of Jesus.

Are the servants of the Lord always ‘righteous’?

Matthew is particularly keen to demonstrate the fulfilment of Scripture.

17th DECEMBER

From December 17th onwards the liturgy provides texts suitable for a more intense preparation. The readings for some of the days of the third week of Advent will not be used in some years, depending on the day of the week on which 17th December falls. The ‘O’ antiphons, which prepare for Christ with the repeated invocation ‘Come!’, are sung for the Magnificat at Evening Prayer from 17th to 23rd December. They may be used for the Alleluia verse at Mass on these days, and their full form is provided here with a brief commentary.

A reading from the book of Genesis  (49:2, 8-10)

Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Gather round and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.
Judah, your brothers shall praise you:
you grip your enemies by the neck,
your father’s sons shall do you homage.
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
you stand over your prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness: who dare rouse him?
The sceptre shall not pass from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute be brought him
and the peoples render him obedience.

According to the account in the book of Genesis, as he approaches death Jacob calls his twelve sons and blesses them. Judah, though not the first born, is the most dominant, and in time his name is given to the southern kingdom, which outlives the other tribes. David is of the tribe of Judah, and it is from Judah that the Messiah will come. These blessings, though containing ancient material, also reflect the historical events in which Judah has emerged as the strongest tribe. The bringing of ‘tribute’ and the rendering of ‘obedience’ quickly suggested a messianic figure, who would attract all peoples.

Psalm 72 (71), a celebrated messianic psalm, speaks of the Messiah’s dominion to the ends of the earth, and the blessings which derive from his rule.

O Wisdom,
coming from the mouth of the Most High,
ordering all things with strength and gentleness,
come and teach us the way of prudence.

The first of the ‘O’ antiphons focusses on ‘Wisdom’ (Sapientia). Sirach 24:3 reads ‘I (Wisdom) came from the mouth of the Most High.’ Wisdom 8:1 reads: ‘Wisdom reaches strongly from one end of the world to the other, and she governs all things well.’

The beginning of the holy gospel according to Matthew (1:1-17)

Roll of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse;
and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah,
Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah;
and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.
Then the deportation to Babylon took place.
After the deportation to Babylon,
Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary;
of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation, and from the Babylonian deportation to the Messiah fourteen generations.

As we approach the feast of the birth of the Messiah it is appropriate to rehearse the list of the ancestors. While Luke 3 goes backwards to Adam ‘son of God’, Matthew 1 moves forwards from Abraham to Jesus, in three sets of fourteen generations. It has been noticed that three times fourteen amounts to six ‘sevens’, and leaves space for the ‘seventh seven’, the time of fulfilment and completion, which is brought about by Jesus Christ. In a patriarchal society it is notable to see several women appearing in the genealogy. The ancestral line from Abraham and David reaches Joseph, the ‘husband of Mary’. It is Joseph who bestows on Jesus lineage from king David. It is by Mary of course that ‘Jesus who is called the Messiah’ is born.

Can we rely on the genealogy of Matthew, and if not does it matter?

The Hebrew Bible helps root our lives, past and future, in the goodness of God.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR C

A reading from the prophet Micah (5:1-4)

But you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah,
from you will come for me a future ruler of Israel
whose origin is from the distant past,
from the days of old.
Hence he will abandon them
only until she who is in labour gives birth,
and then those who survive of his race
will be reunited to the Israelites.
He will take his stand and he will shepherd them
in the power of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of his God,
and they will be secure,
for henceforth his greatness will extend
to the most distant parts of the land.
He himself will be peace!

The minor prophet Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah of Jerusalem. While Isaiah promised a royal child in Jerusalem, Micah heralds the birth of a child in David’s town of Bethlehem. Both texts are full of hope. For Micah God prefers the humble and the obscure, and the prophet stresses the lowly status of Bethlehem, ‘the least of the clans of Judah’. ‘Ephrathah’ is the clan to which Bethlehem belongs, and is related to the ark of the covenant in Psalm 132. A ‘future ruler (moshel)’ is expected, whose origin is from long ago: he has been long promised. The reference to ‘she who is in labour’ recalls Isaiah’s reference to the young woman with child in chapter 7. Appropriately for a descendant of David, this child will ‘shepherd’ the sheep, a metaphor frequently used for rulers, most significantly in Ezekiel 34. The people will be ‘secure’, while the ruler will be ‘great’, as proclaimed to Mary in Luke 1:32. ‘He himself will be peace!’ This striking phrase evokes the totality of what the Messiah brings.

Psalm 80 (79) refers to God as ‘shepherd of Israel’. It asks God to protect ‘the man at your right hand’,  the anointed king.

A reading from the letter to the Hebrews (10:5-10)

This is what Christ said, on coming into the world:
You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering,
but you prepared for me a body.
You took no pleasure in burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin;
then I said, ‘Here I am, I am coming,’
in the scroll of the book it is written of me,
to do your will, O God.

He says first: You wanted no sacrifices, cereal offerings, burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them – the offerings according to the Law – and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to do your will. He is abolishing the first sort to establish the second. And by this will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made once and for all.

The Letter to the Hebrews, the great treatise on Christ the high priest, imagines what was in the heart of Christ as he entered the world. He speaks words from Psalm 40: ‘you wanted no sacrifices or cereal offerings’. God does not require the sacrifices and offerings of old, but has prepared for Christ a ‘body’. The writer takes advantage of the Greek translation of the psalm, which reads ‘body’ rather than the Hebrew version’s ‘open ear’. In this body, by his incarnation, Christ comes ‘to do the will’ of God, which is to accomplish the sanctification of all.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:39-45)

Mary set out at that time and went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Look, as soon as your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And, blessed is she who believed that what was said to her from the Lord would be fulfilled.’

Mary meets Elizabeth. Jesus meets John the Baptist. This is an extraordinary story of two encounters. We are not told the words of Mary as she greeted Elizabeth, but instead hear a lengthy speech of Elizabeth, declaring ‘blessed’ (eulogemenos) both Mary and her child, and expressing amazement at the visit. She affirms that the son in her own womb ‘leapt for joy’. The evangelist is perhaps alluding to the journey of the ark of the covenant through the ‘hill country’ of Judah, and David’s dancing for joy before the ark (2 Samuel 6:5). The welcome given by David to the ark of God’s presence is echoed by the welcome given by John from his mother’s womb to the Messiah in the womb of Mary. The final words of Elizabeth, ‘blessed (makaria) is she who believed’ praise Mary for trusting the words delivered to her by the angel, and echo the evangelist Luke’s distinct emphasis on ‘hearing the word  of God and keeping it’ (11:28).

How can God be present in the simplicity of the events narrated?

God chooses the humble: the shepherd announced by Micah, and Mary of Nazareth.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR B

A reading from the second book of Samuel (7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16)

Once the king had settled into his house and the Lord had granted him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a cedar-wood house, while the ark of God is housed in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that very night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus says the Lord, Are you to build me a house for me to live in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you wherever you went; I have cut off all your enemies for you. I am making your fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I am providing a place for my people Israel; I shall plant them there, and there they will live and never be disturbed again; nor will they be oppressed by the wicked any more, as they were in former times, ever since the time when I instituted judges to govern my people Israel; and I shall grant you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also tells you that he will make you a House. And when your days are over and you fall asleep with your ancestors, I shall appoint your heir, your own son to succeed you, and I shall make his sovereignty secure. I shall be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does wrong, I shall punish him with a rod such as human beings use, with blows such as humans give. But my faithful love will never be withdrawn from him, as I withdrew it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your sovereignty will ever stand firm before me and your throne be for ever secure.” ’

David has established himself as king in Jerusalem, and tells the prophet Nathan of his plan to build a temple for the Lord, to provide a permanent home for the ark of the covenant, the abiding sign of God’s saving presence with Israel. Nathan initially approves of David’s plan, but is then told by God to return to the king with the words: ‘are you to build me a house (bayit) for me to live in?’ There are multiple meanings in the Hebrew term: temple, house, royal dynasty. God lists the various ways in which God has supported David, and promises enduring solidarity. It is God who will build the house (bayit) of David. God will care for David’s descendants too, punishing their offences, but never taking back his ‘faithful love’ (hesed). God will make their ‘sovereignty’ (mamlakah) secure.

Psalm 89 (88) God promises a continuing covenant (berit) with David, a dynasty which lasts, and love (hesed) which endures.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (16:25-27)

And now to him who can make you strong
in accordance with my gospel
and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
in accordance with the mystery
kept secret for long ages
but now made clear through the writings of the prophets,
and by the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations,
for the obedience of faith,
to him, the only wise God,
through Jesus Christ
to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

The Letter to the Romans ends with these words, an extensive doxology which acknowledges the gifts of God through Jesus Christ. Paul speaks again of ‘my gospel’ (euaggelion), the Christian ‘preaching’ (kerygma) and the ‘mystery’ (mysterion) which is now revealed. As he had at the beginning of the letter  (1:5), he calls for the ‘obedience of faith’ required of both Jew and Gentile believers. The letter concludes: ‘Glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ. Amen.’

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (1:26-38)

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice full of grace! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and pondered what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Look! You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?’ In answer the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And see, your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she who was said to be barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’

Mary said, ‘Here I am, the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her.

The ‘throne of David’ links the gospel of the annunciation to Mary with the words of God to David through the voice of Nathan. Just as Joseph was faced with a choice in the gospel of Matthew, so is Mary of Nazareth in the gospel of Luke. Rather than simply speaking of the ‘angel of the Lord’ Luke names the ‘angel Gabriel’, known from the book of Daniel. Gabriel addresses the young girl with the title ‘full of grace’ (kecharitomene), which is derived from the Greek term for ‘grace’ (charis). In Luke’s account it is Mary who is to give the name ‘Jesus’ to her son. Mary’s question about how this birth will come about leads to Luke’s explanation of a conception by the coming of the Holy Spirit, reminiscent of the explanation given to Joseph in Matthew (1:20). The pregnancy of the elderly Elizabeth is given as a sign to Mary. Mary’s answer to the angel ends the suspense when she says: ‘let it happen to me as you have said’. The fiat of Mary allows the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, to be conceived in her womb and to be born into the human race.

How does the annunciation to Mary differ from that to Joseph in Matthew 1?

The name ‘Jesus’ (yehoshua‘ / yeshua‘) means ‘the Lord saves’.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR A

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (7:10-14)

The Lord spoke to Ahaz again and said:
‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign,
either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.’
But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask. I will not put the Lord to the test.’ He then said:
‘Listen now, House of David!
Not satisfied with trying human patience,
will you try my God’s patience too?
The Lord will give you a sign in any case.
Look, the virgin is with child
and will give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel.’

For the second time in chapter 7 the prophet Isaiah speaks to king Ahaz, who, rather than trusting in God, prefers to play politics with neighbouring nations. Nevertheless, Isaiah tells the king that he will be given a sign from God. The Hebrew text speaks of a ‘young woman’ (‘almah), who will give birth to a son. The translation here follows the Greek Bible, which speaks of a ‘virgin’ (parthenos). It is thought that the words of the prophet to the king refer to a son, an heir to the throne, to be born soon. It is not surprising that the text was taken up by the evangelist Matthew and considered fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ. The name Immanuel, which is the Hebrew for ‘God is with us’, implies that God is ever faithful to the royal line descended from David.

Psalm 24 (23) tells us that the one ‘with clean hands and pure heart’ will receive blessing from the Lord.

A reading from the letter of saint Paul to the Romans (1:1-7)

From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel that God had promised through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son who, according to the flesh, was a descendant of David and who, in terms of the Spirit and of holiness, was designated Son of God in power by resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom we have received grace and our apostolic mission of winning the obedience of faith among all the nations for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, God’s beloved in Rome, called to be saints: grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Letter to the Romans, to people whom Paul has not visited but will visit, is arguably the most significant letter of the Apostle Paul. It begins with this long sentence in which Paul describes himself as a ‘slave’ (doulos) of Christ Jesus, ‘called to be an apostle’, and ‘set apart’ for the preaching of the gospel. It also gives a full presentation of ‘the Son’ who is both a descendant of David, and ‘Son of God’, recognised as such by the resurrection from the dead. It is this Jesus who has commissioned Paul for a mission to announce ‘the obedience of faith’. Most importantly, this faith is to be preached to ‘all the nations’. In these opening words Paul lays down what is essential in this letter: salvation by faith preached both to the Jews and to the nations.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (1:18-24)

The birth of Jesus the Messiah happened like this. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to disgrace, decided to dismiss her quietly. He had this in mind when suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

Look, the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

which means ‘God-is-with-us’. When Joseph woke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took her as his wife.

Matthew’s stories of the birth of Christ are divided into five scenes, of which this is the first. Just as Mary was faced with a decision in Luke 1, so Joseph has to decide whether to take his engaged wife Mary, who is pregnant, to his home. The evangelist makes clear that she is ‘with child through the Holy Spirit’. Joseph is described as ‘righteous’ (dikaios), and therefore submissive to the Jewish law, but also unwilling to shame Mary. The appearance of the ‘angel of the Lord’ speaks of God’s invitation in the heart of the human being. Joseph is told that he himself will bestow the child’s name, and it will be through him that the legal status of ‘son of David’ will be established. The evangelist points to the fulfilment of Isaiah 7:14, which he quotes from the Greek translation, intending to indicate by this use of ‘virgin’ (parthenos) the virginal conception of Jesus. The suspense is broken at the end of the passage when we are told that Joseph ‘did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him’.

What is the purpose of the fulfilment citations in these chapters of Matthew?

Both Mary and Joseph are invited to make room for God’s unexpected ways.

FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the book of Isaiah  (56:1-3, 6-8)

Thus says the Lord,
‘Make fair judgement your concern,
act with justice,
for my salvation is near
and my righteousness is ready to be revealed.
Blessed is anyone who does this,
anyone who holds fast to it, observing the Sabbath,
not profaning it, and holding back from every evil deed.
No foreigner attached to the Lord may say,
“The Lord will firmly exclude me from his people.”
As for foreigners who attach themselves to the Lord
to serve him, to love the Lord’s name and be his servants,
all who observe the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and hold fast to my covenant:
these I shall lead to my holy mountain
and make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices on my altar will win my favour,
for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.’
The Lord God who gathers the exiles of Israel declares,
‘There are others I shall gather to him,
besides those already gathered.’

The final chapters of the book of Isaiah are produced after the return from exile, and originate from various prophets. This first text from those chapters restates the priorities of ‘fair judgement’ (mishpat) and ‘justice’ (tsedaqah). All those who act accordingly, without exception, are declared ‘blessed’. This is then further explained by explicit reference to the ‘foreigner’, traditionally excluded from temple worship (Deuteronomy 23). The only requirements are respect of the sabbath and of the covenant of the Lord. God will lead them to the ‘holy mountain’, and ‘make them joyful in the house of prayer’.  They will be free to offer sacrifices on the altar, for God’s house is ‘for all peoples’ (Mark 11). God’s invitation to all is confirmed when God speaks of ‘others I shall gather besides those already gathered’. The shepherd God welcomes all (John 10).

Psalm 67 (66) underlines that God’s salvation is for all the peoples.

A reading from the holy gospel according to John (5:33-36)

Jesus said to the Jews:
You sent messengers to John, and he bore witness to the truth.
I do not accept human witness;
it is for your salvation that I say this.
He was the lamp burning and shining
and for a time you were glad to rejoice in his light.
But I have a greater witness than John’s:
the deeds my Father has given me to complete,
these same deeds that I do witness that the Father has sent me.

The healing of the paralysed man at the pool of Bethsaida in chapter 5 of the Gospel of John has been followed by a debate between Jesus and his interlocutors on the ‘work’ he does on the Sabbath, and on calling God his ‘Father’. At this stage of a long speech Jesus refers to John the Baptist as giving ‘witness’ (marturia) for the truth, a temporary witness who was a ‘lamp burning and shining’. But a greater witness claimed by Jesus is provided by the works the Father has given him to complete, and these works bear even stronger testimony that the Father has sent him. Like the gospel readings of the last few days, this final reading of the first period of Advent again mentions the role of John the Baptist.

What ‘works of God’ provide witness for you in daily life?

A further witness for Jesus in John 5 is the holy Scriptures.

THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the book of Isaiah  (54:1-10)

‘Shout for joy, you barren one
who has borne no children!
Break into cries of joy, you who were never in labour!
For the children of the forsaken one
outnumber those of the wedded wife,’ says the Lord.
‘Enlarge the space of your tent,
extend the curtains of your home, do not hold back!
Lengthen your ropes, drive home the tent-pegs,
for you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess the nations
and repopulate deserted towns.
Do not fear, you will not be shamed,
do not worry, you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth
and no longer remember the reproach of your widowhood.
For your creator is your husband,
the Lord Sabaoth is his name;
the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer,
he is called God of all the earth.
For like a wife forsaken and sad at heart,
the Lord has called you back;
like the young wife repudiated, says your God.
I did forsake you for a brief moment,
but in great compassion I shall take you back.
In a flood of anger,
for a moment I hid my face from you
but in everlasting love I have taken pity on you,’
says the Lord, your redeemer.
‘This will be to me as it was in the days of Noah
when I swore that Noah’s floodwaters
should never again cover the earth.
So now I swear never to be angry with you
and never to rebuke you.
The mountains may depart and the hills may be shaken
but my faithful love will never leave you,
my covenant of peace will never be shaken,’
says the  Lord in his pity for you.

This text of second Isaiah is also found among the readings for the Easter Vigil. It announces the loving mercy of God, who looks on ‘the forsaken one’. During Advent it points to the coming of salvation, and at Easter to the fulfilment of this great mystery. God brings to the ‘wedded wife’ the news that, now that the exile is over, her descendants ‘will spread out to the right and to the left’. The identity of the husband is then revealed. He is ‘your maker, the Lord Sabaoth, the Holy One of Israel’. His anger is over, and, just as at the end of the story of Noah, ‘my faithful love (hasdi) will never leave you’ and ‘my covenant of peace (berit shelomi) will never be shaken’. This is the God ‘who pities you’.

Psalm 30 (29) The anger of God has passed. Tears turn to joy, and mourning to dancing.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (7:24-30)

When John’s messengers had gone he began to talk to the crowds about John, ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who go in magnificent clothes and live luxuriously are to be found at royal courts! Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet: he is the one of whom it is written:

Look, I am going to send my messenger ahead of you to prepare your way before you.

‘I tell you, of the children born to women, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.’ All the people who heard him, and the tax collectors too, acknowledged the righteousness of God by accepting baptism from John; but by refusing baptism from him the Pharisees and the lawyers thwarted God’s plan for them.

Having delivered a veiled criticism of John in the previous verses, which were yesterday’s gospel reading, Jesus goes on to praise John. He was ‘more than a prophet’. He was the one foretold by Malachi the prophet as ‘my messenger’ who prepares the way. No-one is greater than John, and yet the least in the kingdom is greater. Luke then adds his own comment. By accepting the baptism of John most people ‘acknowledged the righteousness of God’; they realised that God was at work in what John did. But the Pharisees and lawyers ‘thwarted God’s plan for them’ by their refusal.

Can you make sense of Jesus’ words that the least in the kingdom are greater than John?

Reflect on the person of John the Baptist and his journey of faith, which culminates in martyrdom for the truth.

WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the book of Isaiah  (45:6-8, 18, 21-25)

There is none but me.
I am the Lord and there is no other;
I form the light and I create darkness,
I make well-being, and I create disaster,
I, the Lord, do all these things.
Drop down dew from above, you heavens,
and let the clouds pour down saving justice,
let the earth open and salvation blossom
and let righteousness spring up with it;
I, the Lord, have created it!
For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens;
he is God, who shaped the earth and set it firm.
He did not create it to be chaos, he formed it to be lived in,
‘I am the Lord, and there is no other.
Speak up, present your case, consult together!
Who foretold this in the past,
who declared it long ago?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other god but me,
a righteous God, a saviour, none but me!
Turn to me and you will be saved,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God and there is no other.
By my own self I swear it;
what comes from my mouth is saving justice,
it is an irrevocable word.
To me every knee shall bend.
By me every tongue shall swear.
Of me it will be said,
“In the Lord alone are saving justice and strength,
until all those who used to rage at him come to him in shame.”
In the Lord the whole race of Israel will find saving justice and glory.’

Written during the exile, the poems in second Isaiah present God in a new way. Most importantly ‘I am the Lord, and there is no other.’ This is asserted despite the strength of Babylon, and chapter 46 will compare the Lord with the gods of Babylon, who are described as ‘cowering’. The God of Israel is also ‘creator’ (bara’): God ‘forms’ light, ‘creates’ darkness, ‘makes’ well-being, ‘creates’ disaster. The interjection ‘drop down dew from above, you heavens, let the clouds pour down saving justice’ gives rise to the Advent chant Rorate caeli desuper, and is understood as a prayer for the coming of the Messiah. ‘Saving justice’ and ‘righteousness’ are also ‘created’ by the Lord. In the final verses God repeats, ‘There is no other god but me’, ‘a righteous God, a saviour’ even for the nations, which are described as ‘the ends of the earth’. The Lord, who frees his people, offers them ‘saving justice’, ‘strength’ and ‘glory’.

Psalm 85 (84) When the Lord comes, ‘justice’ (tsedeq) shall precede him.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (7:19-23)

The disciples of John reported all this to him, and John, summoning two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?’ When the men reached Jesus they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who is to come or are we to expect someone else?” ’ At that time he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and of evil spirits, and gave the gift of sight to many who were blind. And he answered them, ‘Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the good news is proclaimed to the poor; and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of stumbling.’

Both Matthew and Luke report on the question of John the Baptist which two disciples bring to Jesus. Luke’s account is somewhat longer, and emphasises the actual deeds of Jesus ‘at that time’. It seems that John, after his imprisonment by Herod the tetrarch, has reflected on the work of Jesus. Perhaps he is struggling with the emphasis on healings, and the welcome offered to sinners. As in Matthew, the words of Jesus end with the beatitude, ‘blessed is the one who does not find me a cause of stumbling (skandalizein).’

Are you scandalised by the mercy of God?

What God desires is mercy.

TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the book of Zephaniah  (3:1-2, 9-13)

Woe to the rebellious, the befouled, the tyrannical city!
It did not listen to the call, did not accept correction;
it did not trust in the Lord, did not draw near to its God.
Yes, then I shall purge the lips of the peoples
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,
my suppliants will bring me tribute.
When that Day comes you will never again
be ashamed of all the deeds
by which you once rebelled against me,
for I shall rid you of those who exult in your splendour;
never again will you preen yourself on my holy mountain.
But in you I shall leave surviving a humble and lowly people
and the remnant in Israel will take refuge
in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong, will tell no lies;
nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths.
But they will graze and rest with no one to alarm them.

Two sets of verses come from the third and final chapter of the minor prophet, Zephaniah, a contemporary of Jeremiah. The first section is a ‘woe’ speech against Jerusalem, dating before its destruction by the Babylonians. The people ‘did not listen’, trusting in political alliances and refusing to trust in the Lord, or draw near to God. These are common prophetic accusations. But the tone changes and God announces a new start, whereby God purges their lips so that they may invoke and serve the Lord. People will come ‘from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia’, from very distant lands. There remains ‘a humble (‘ani) and lowly (dal) people’, a remnant which trusts in the Lord and lives in honesty. They will ‘graze and rest’, under the benevolent care of the Lord.

Psalm 34 (33) The psalm speaks of the ‘humble’ and the ‘broken-hearted’, whom God will heal.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (21:28-32)

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: ‘What do you think? A man had two sons. Going up to the first he said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went up to the second and said the same thing, and he answered, “I’ll go, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Amen I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you on the road of righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.

This gospel passage follows directly after the dispute about ‘authority’, which was yesterday’s gospel reading. Jesus puts a parable to the priests and elders, which once again considers the authority of John the Baptist. They are quick to assert that the son who initially refused and then repented is the better son, and they fall into the trap Jesus has laid for them. He points out that ‘tax collectors and prostitutes’ responded positively to the preaching of John the Baptist, and to the ‘road of righteousness’ (hodos dikaiosunes) he offered. They were willing to change. Will the priests and elders be able to accept that the parable has a lesson for them?

Why is it so difficult to listen to the words of the gospel?

Religious professionals often find it hard to take the risk of faith.

MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the book of Numbers (24:2-7, 15-17)

Raising his eyes Balaam saw Israel settled tribe by tribe; the spirit of God came on him and he declaimed his poem, saying:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,
the oracle of one who hears the words of God.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
He may fall, but his eyes are open.
How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwellings, O Israel,
like valleys that stretch afar,
like gardens by the banks of a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters!
Water drips from his branches,
his seed is by many waters.
His king is greater than Agag,
and his kingship is held in honour.’
He then declaimed his poem, saying:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,
the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
He may fall, but his eyes are open.
I see him – but not in the present.
I perceive him – but not close at hand:
a star issues from Jacob,
a sceptre arises from Israel.’

Balaam is a seer, sent by the king of Moab to curse Israel, which, during its wilderness journeying, is threatening to engulf his lands. Despite being a pagan, Balaam knows the Lord, whom he names with the ancient title ‘Shaddai’, and he receives ‘the spirit of God’. It is not unusual that pagan eyes see the truth with new clarity. Using botanical imagery, he speaks of the beauty of Israel’s tents encamped in the desert. Israel’s ‘king’ (melek) is ‘greater than Agag’, the famed king of Amalek. In a second speech, introduced with the same solemnity, Balaam speaks of a ‘star’ (kokab) born of Israel and a ‘sceptre’ (shebet) arising from Jacob, but ‘not in the present’ and ‘not close at hand’. Both speeches are quickly understood as containing references to a Messiah king, and this gave rise to Christian use of this text. Reference to a ‘hero’ in earlier translations of the Jerusalem Bible derives from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek Bible, which struggled to understand the Hebrew of v.7 (‘Water drips’) and produced a different rendering.

Psalm 25 (24) In the psalm we ask God to ‘remember’ (zakar) his mercy and love, and to ‘remember’ us ‘because of his goodness’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (21:23-27)

Jesus had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, ‘By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?’ In reply Jesus said to them, ‘I too will ask you a question; if you tell me the answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. John’s baptism: what was its origin, heavenly or human?’ And they discussed among themselves, ‘If we say “heavenly”, he will reply to us, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”; but if we say “human”, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So in answer to Jesus they said, ‘We do not know.’ And he replied to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The passage follows closely on the account of the ‘cleansing’ of the Temple, and that of the cursing of the barren fig tree, events which according to Matthew happened in the final days of the Jerusalem ministry of Jesus. The priests and elders ask about the authority (exousia) Jesus has to do ‘these things’. This is a clever question, which tries to trick Jesus into claiming exalted status. They are determined to find something by which they can condemn him. Jesus sees their purpose, and asks a question in return, a question about the origin of the baptism of John the Baptist. The priests and elders are now faced with a trap. They cannot claim John’s authority came from God, since they rejected him; and if they say it had human origin, they risk antagonizing the people. Their own authority is in shreds.

What is the purpose of the question of the chief priests and elders?

To open one’s mind to the new things of God is indeed a grace.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR C

A reading from the prophet Zephaniah (3:14-18)

Shout for joy, daughter Zion,
Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has removed your sentence;
he has turned your enemy away.
The Lord is king among you, Israel:
you have nothing more to fear.
On that Day, it will be said to Jerusalem,
‘Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp.’
The Lord your God is within you,
the saving warrior.
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love,
he will dance with shouts of joy for you
as on a day of festival.
I have taken away your misfortune,
I no longer need you bear the disgrace of it.

These words come towards the end of the book of the prophet Zephaniah, and round the book off with psalms of joy. In words reminiscent of Isaiah 40, which proclaimed that the ‘penalty has been paid’, Zephaniah declares that the sentence (mishpat) has been ‘removed’. The Lord is ‘king’ among the people, who are told there is nothing more to fear. The Lord himself is a saving ‘warrior’ who will rejoice, renewing Israel with his love, and dancing with joy, because Sion’s ‘misfortune’ has ended.

Isaiah 12 This short chapter of Isaiah serves as a responsorial psalm. It proclaims God as ‘my salvation’ and speaks of drawing water ‘joyfully from the springs of salvation’.

A reading from the letter of saint Paul to the Philippians (4:4-7)

Rejoice in the Lord always; I say again, rejoice. Let your good sense be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything; but in every prayer and petition make your requests known to God with thanksgiving, and the peace of God which is beyond all understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Remembering the affection of the Christians of Philippi Paul urges them to rejoice (chairein) constantly. The opening words of this reading have become prominent in the liturgy of this day, which is consequently known as Gaudete Sunday. The Philippians are filled with joy because they have received ‘good sense’ from the Lord, and the Lord is near. There is an insistence on prayer and thanksgiving. Their confidence in the goodness of God means that the ‘peace (eirene) of God’, which surpasses understanding, will guard them ‘in Christ Jesus’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (3:10-18)

And the crowds asked John, ‘What should we do, then?’ He answered them, saying, ‘Anyone who has two tunics must share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food must do the same.’ Tax collectors, too, came to be baptised, and they said to him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the rate appointed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘What about us? What should we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No false accusation! Be content with your pay!’

There was a feeling of expectancy among the people; they were all questioning in their hearts whether John might himself be the Messiah. John answered them all by saying, ‘I baptise you with water, but one more powerful than me is coming, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that never goes out.’ And he proclaimed the good news to the people with many other exhortations too.

John’s preaching about the ‘wrath to come’ (3:7) is followed by words from different groups with the repeated question, ‘what should we do?’ Only Luke gives these details. His first instruction, in keeping with prophetic custom, is that clothes and food should be shared with the needy. Tax collectors are told to collect the proper rate of tax, not lining their pockets. Soldiers are told not to intimidate, or accuse falsely and to be content with their pay. The expectancy among the crowd raises the question of John’s real mission, leading him to speak of the baptism of the one who is ‘more powerful’ which will be given ‘with the Holy Spirit and with fire’. John also expects that the Messiah will ‘burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out’. Luke says that, like Jesus, he ‘proclaimed the good news’ (euaggelizesthai) to the people.

Is John right to speak of the fire of judgement?

Each group, each person, needs to enquire: ‘What should I do?’

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR B

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (61:1-2, 10-11)

The spirit of Lord God is on me
for the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted,
to soothe the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to captives,
release to those in prison,
to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favour.
I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul rejoices in my God
for he has clothed me in garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in a cloak of saving justice,
like a bridegroom wearing his garland,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.
For as the earth sends up its shoots
and a garden makes seeds flourish,
so the Lord God makes saving justice and praise
flourish in the sight of all nations.

This prophet is deeply aware of the gift of the spirit of the Lord, and that he has been anointed to bring ‘good news’, and to proclaim a year of jubilee, a year ‘of the Lord’s favour’. The message of comfort was first proclaimed in Isaiah 40 as the exiles were told of their release from Babylon and restoration to their land. It is not surprising that the words of this reading are found on the lips of Jesus when he visits the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4). The second half of the reading personifies the whole people, who ‘exult for joy in the Lord’, who has clothed them in ‘salvation’ (yesha‘) and ‘saving justice’ (tsedaqah). The work of the Lord in liberating his people is witnessed by ‘all nations’, and is compared to the earth ‘sending up shoots’ and a garden ‘making seeds flourish’.

Luke 1 The ‘responsorial psalm’ uses verses from the Magnificat, as Mary rejoices and proclaims the greatness of the Lord. It reflects the exultation of the people.

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians (5:16-24)

Always be joyful; pray constantly; in every situation give thanks; this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not stifle the Spirit or treat prophecy with contempt; test everything and hold fast to what is good, and shun every form of evil.
May the God of peace sanctify you fully; and may your spirit, life and body be kept blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who has called you is trustworthy and will carry it out.

These words come towards the end of this earliest of Paul’s letters. The theme of joy (chairein) is maintained, for to be joyful is part of ‘the will of God in Christ Jesus’. A series of imperatives is put forward. Paul ends with a prayer to the ‘God of peace’ that the whole person, ‘spirit (pneuma), life (psyche) and body (soma)’, be ready for the coming (parousia) of the Lord. The God who calls is ‘trustworthy’ (pistos), and will fulfil the promise.

A reading from the holy gospel according to John (1:6-8, 19-28)

There was a man sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
to bear witness to the light,
so that everyone might believe through him.
He was not the light,
he was to bear witness to the light.

This is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He declared, he did not deny but declared, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ So they asked, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? So that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ So he said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied:

A voice of one that cries in the desert:
prepare a way for the Lord.’

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees, and they put a question to him and said, ‘Why then are you baptising if you are not the Messiah nor Elijah nor the Prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptise with water; but among you is standing one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; and I am not worthy to undo the strap of his sandal.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.

Two separate sections of the first chapter of John’s gospel are joined together here by the word ‘witness’ (marturia). The ‘man sent by God’ is John the Baptist, who was not the ‘light’ (phos), but a ‘witness’ for the light. The text then omits ten verses and tells how John bears ‘witness’ to the priests and Levites who came down from Jerusalem. John declares that he is not the Messiah, not Elijah and not the expected prophet. In words originating from Isaiah 40 and familiar from their use in the other gospels, he declares that he is ‘a voice’ (phone) which cries out. He offers a baptism of water, in readiness for ‘the one who is coming’. In putting together these verses from chapter one of John the lectionary provides a clear idea of the mission of the Baptist.

How far would you consider your own life to be bearing witness?

The one who bears witness may become the martyr who gives life away.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR A

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (35:1-6,10)

Let the desert and the arid lands be glad,
let the wasteland rejoice and bloom;
let it burst into flower like the crocus,
let it rejoice and sing for joy.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they shall see the glory of the Lord,
the splendour of our God.
Strengthen all weary hands,
steady all trembling knees
and say to the faint-hearted,
‘Be strong! Do not be afraid.
Here is your God,
vengeance is coming, divine retribution;
he is coming to save you.’
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
the ears of the deaf unsealed,
then the lame will leap like a deer
and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy;
for water will burst forth in the desert
and streams in arid lands,
Those ransomed by the Lord shall return
and come to Zion shouting for joy,
crowned with joy unending;
rejoicing and gladness will escort them
and sorrow and sighing will take flight.

On this third Sunday of Advent the joyful tone is taken up by these verses from the prophet Isaiah. The final verse even speaks of ‘joy unending’ (simhat ‘olam). A journey back to Sion is described, in which ‘God is coming to save you.’ The ‘glory’ (kabod) of God and God’s ‘splendour’ (hadar) are to be seen, a reason for courage and strength. Various human disabilities are healed: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap, the dumb sing. The created environment is renewed as water bursts out in the desert. The ‘ransomed’ will return to the holy city, amid bursts of rejoicing, while ‘sorrow and sighing will take flight’.

Psalm 146 (145) The Lord ‘keeps faith’, and can be relied upon to save the oppressed, the stranger, the widow and the orphan.

A reading from the letter of St James (5:7-10)

Now be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how a farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth until it receives the autumn rain and the spring rain. You too must be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming is near. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers and sisters, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; see, the judge is standing at the gates. For your example of patience in persecution take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name.

The Advent theme of the Lord’s coming (parousia) is found again in the letter of James, a New Testament book which is akin to the wisdom writings of the Hebrew scriptures. He echoes the teaching of Jesus about the Lord’s coming (Mark 13), and stresses above all the need to ‘be patient’ (makrothumein), by imitating the farmer who awaits good fruit from his land. James also offers the example of ‘patience in persecution’ of the prophets.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (11:2-11)

Now John had heard in prison what the Messiah was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?’ Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor; and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of stumbling.’ As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? Then what did you go out to see? Someone wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in royal palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one of whom it is written:

Look, I am going to send my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way before you.

‘Amen I say to you, of the children born to women, none has been raised up greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.’

A further gospel about John the Baptist is taken from the time of his imprisonment by Herod the tetrarch. The response given by Jesus to the question John is asking points to his healings. It ends with the interesting words: ‘blessed is the one who does not find in me a cause of stumbling (skandalizein)’. It seems that John is troubled for he may have expected a more challenging style from Jesus. In Matthew 3:12  John talks about the Messiah ‘burning chaff’. But Jesus shows a merciful outreach to those in need, and ‘the good news is proclaimed to the poor’. If this may seem like a veiled rebuke from Jesus, it is followed immediately by words about John’s greatness: he is ‘greater than a prophet’ and no child born of women is greater than he, though ‘the least in the kingdom’ is greater still.

Can you see beyond the apparent contradiction in Jesus’ final words?

John the Baptist, like all of us, has to learn the lesson of mercy.

SATURDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus (48:1-4,9-11)

Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire,
his word flaring like a torch.
It was he who brought famine on them,
in his zeal he made them few in number.
By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens;
three times also he brought down fire.
How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah!
Has anyone reason to boast like you? –
taken up in the whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses,
designated in the prophecies in due time
to allay God’s wrath before the fury,
to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children
and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed those who will see you
and those who have fallen asleep in love –
for we too shall have life.

The book of Ecclesiasticus, the Wisdom of Ben Sira, preserved in the Greek Bible, though originally written in Hebrew, concludes with several chapters of ‘praise of the ancestors’. Among them is the prophet Elijah. It is of special interest that he was ‘taken up in the whirlwind of fire’. The prophet Malachi speaks of the return of Elijah to be a preacher of reconciliation (3:23-24), a text which is clearly in the mind of Ben Sira. The final verse of our passage speaks of the blessed state of those who see Elijah, and those who have ‘fallen asleep in love’. There is a hint here of personal immortality.

Psalm 80 (79) The Hebrew refrain of this psalm has God, the ‘shepherd of Israel’, being asked to bring the people back, and to allow his ‘face’ to shine, so that they may be saved. The refrain of the Hebrew psalm becomes our response.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (17:10-13)

The disciples put this question to Jesus, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ He replied, ‘Elijah is indeed coming, and he will set everything right again; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him, but they did what they liked with him; and the Son of man will suffer similarly at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking of John the Baptist.

These verses of conversation follow Matthew’s account of the transfiguration, in which Moses and Elijah have appeared with Jesus. Jesus confirms what the scribes teach, that Elijah will return ‘to set everything right’, and furthermore asserts that Elijah has already returned in the person of John the Baptist. Both Elijah and John spoke up for the truth, and suffered for it. Jesus goes on to say that he himself, ‘the Son of man’, will suffer in a similar way.

How does the ministry of John reflect that of Elijah?

Both John and Jesus suffer martyrdom for the truth.