FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (48:17-19)

Thus says the Lord, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel,
‘I am the Lord your God
and teach you for your own good;
I lead you in the way you should go.
If only you had listened to my commandments!
Your prosperity would have been like a river
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Your descendants would have been numbered like the sand,
your offspring as many as its grains.
Their name would never be cut off
or blotted out from my presence.

The Lord is presented as ‘redeemer’ (go’el), the one who buys back his people’s freedom, and, as so often throughout Isaiah, as ‘holy one’ (qadosh). The Lord presents himself as ‘your God’, as ‘one who teaches’ and as ‘one who leads’, who instructs people on the good way to be followed. The climax of the passage is God’s words of regret: ‘if only you had listened to my commandments (mitswot)’. A whole set of images then follows: your prosperity (shalom) would have been ‘like a river’, your righteousness (tsedaqah) ‘like the waves of the sea’, and, in a clear allusion to God’s words to Abraham (Genesis 22), your descendants would have been ‘like the sand’, and your offspring ‘like grain’. Instead of the misery of destruction and exile they have suffered, their name would never be ‘cut off’ or ‘blotted out’. This is the lesson they must learn.

Psalm 1 The psalm presents the choice announced in the reading: to delight in the law of the Lord, or to follow the ‘counsel of the wicked’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (11:16-19)

Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘With whom can I compare this generation? It is like children shouting to the others as they sit in the market place, “We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t beat your breasts.” For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He is possessed.” The Son of man came, eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.’

These verses follow immediately from yesterday’s gospel, and John the Baptist is once again mentioned. Jesus presents a parable about petulant children in the market place by which he describes ‘this generation’, the crowds who follow him. Whatever they do, whatever behavior they pursue, from playing pipes to singing dirges, they always complain. Similarly both the ascetic style of John and the convivial behavior of Jesus are rejected, both giving rise to criticism. This generation cannot be satisfied, for they are unwilling to ‘listen’, yet ‘wisdom is justified by her deeds’, and the work of God through John and Jesus will achieve its end.

Am I like the children in the parable, never satisfied?

We need a readiness to respond, however strange God’s ways may seem.

THURSDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (41:13-20)

For I, the Lord your God,
I grasp you by your right hand;
I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid, I shall be your help.’
Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
you insect Israel!
‘I shall be your help,’
– declares the Lord;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Look, I am making of you a threshing-sledge,
sharp, new, equipped with teeth.
You will thresh the mountains to dust
and reduce the hills to chaff.
You will winnow them and the wind will carry them off,
the gale will scatter them;
but you will rejoice in the Lord,
will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
The oppressed and needy search for water,
and there is none,
their tongue is parched with thirst.
I the Lord will provide for them.
I the God of Israel will not abandon them.
I shall open up rivers on bare heights
and waterholes among the ravines;
I shall turn the desert into a lake
and dry ground into springs of water.
I shall place cedar trees in the desert,
acacias, myrtles and olives;
in the wastelands I shall put cypress trees,
plane trees and pine together,
so that people may see and know,
so that they may all observe and understand
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

The prophet is called to announce to the exiles that God, who ‘grasps you by your right hand’ is ready to bring them back home. ‘Do not be afraid’, says the Lord, to the ‘worm’ Jacob, to the ‘insect’ Israel. These strange ways of addressing the people simply underline their helplessness when left to their own devices. God will transform them into a ‘threshing-sledge’, another unique image, but now one of strength. They will resume control of their own destiny. The second half of this passage takes up again the common themes of second Isaiah, providing for the needy, and transforming creation for the benefit of people. An extraordinary list of shrubs illustrates the generosity of God. All this is what the ‘hand of the Lord’ can do.

Psalm 145 (144) God is ‘king’, and his name is blessed. His reign lasts ‘from age to age’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (11:11-15)

Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘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. Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of Heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John the Baptist; and he, if you will accept it, is Elijah who was to come. Anyone who has ears should listen!’

The gospel readings on Advent weekdays constantly refer to John the Baptist from this point. Jesus’ words about the greatness of John are qualified by reference to those in the kingdom of heaven, who, Jesus continues, are all even greater. John is the last of the long line of prophets, indeed he is ‘Elijah who was to come’, as suggested in the book of Malachi chapter 3. The figure of Elijah and his fierce commitment to the true God are a fitting model for John. The ‘violence’ needed by those who enter the kingdom may be interpreted as their single-minded commitment, for those who enter it are even more determined than John.

How committed am I to entering the kingdom of Heaven?

Striving for the kingdom should be our first priority.

WEDNESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (40:25-31)

‘To whom can you compare me, or who is my equal?’
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes and see who created them.
He leads out their army in order,
summoning each one of them by name.
So mighty is his power, so great his strength,
not one of them fails to appear.
Why can you say, Jacob,
why do you proclaim, Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord,
my cause is ignored by my God’?
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the God of ages,
he created the furthest ends of the earth.
He does not grow tired or weary,
his understanding cannot be fathomed.
He gives force to the weary,
he strengthens the powerless.
Youths may grow tired and weary,
young people stumble and fall,
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength,
they will grow wings like eagles,
they will run and not grow weary,
walk but never tire.

God challenges the people: ‘to whom can you compare me?’ God is the one who creates the heavens; the stars appear at his bidding. God then challenges these exiles for their despondency, as they repeatedly claim that God is ignoring their plight. The response affirms that God is not only creator but also sustainer of the people. God is tireless, with more energy than the young, who still grow weary and fall. This means that those who trust in God’s power and will to save ‘will grow wings like eagles’. They will ‘never tire’.

Psalm 103 (102) The psalm too describes the qualities of God, who is forgiving, compassionate and loving, ‘slow to anger and rich in mercy’ (Exodus 34).

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (11:28-30)

Jesus exclaimed: Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

This is the second part of a speech of Jesus. The first part is a prayer addressed to the Father ‘Lord of heaven and earth’, in which Jesus thanks God for revealing the good news to the ‘infants’. In the second part, the verses of this gospel reading, Jesus speaks to those who ‘labour and are overburdened’. Jesus will, like the shepherd, lead them to rest. The God who never tires of leading his people to freedom is revealed in Jesus who is ‘gentle and humble in heart’, and who offers a yoke that is light.

What does it mean to be ‘humble in heart’?

The ‘rest’ of God is offered to all.

TUESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (40:1-11)

‘Comfort, O comfort my people,’
says your God.
‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem
and cry out to her
that her period of service is ended,
her penalty has been paid;
from the hand of the Lord she has received
double for all her sins.’
A voice crying out,
‘In the desert prepare a way for the Lord.
Make straight across the wastelands
a highway for our God.
Let every ravine be filled in,
every mountain and hill be brought down;
the crooked shall be straight,
the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
and all humanity shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’
A voice said, ‘Cry aloud!’
and I said, ‘What shall I cry?’
‘All humanity is grass
and all its beauty like the wild flower.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on them.
(The grass is surely the people.)
Grass withers, a flower fades,
but the word of our God stands firm for ever.’
Go up on a high mountain, Zion,
herald of good news!
Lift up your voice with power, Jerusalem,
herald of good news!
Lift it up without fear!
Say to the cities of Judah,
‘See, here is your God.’
See the Lord God coming with power,
his arm rules for him,
see, his reward is with him,
his prize goes before him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd,
gathering the lambs in his arms,
holding them against his breast
and leading the mother ewes.

No fewer than three voices mark this opening text of the second Isaiah. The voice ‘crying out’ commands that a way be prepared for God. Ravines are to be filled in and hills brought low. The text is familiar because it is used in the gospels in relation to the ministry of John the Baptist. A second voice cries out that ‘humanity is grass’, and that only the ‘word of our God’ stands for ever. God’s word gives life and allows human beings to thrive. This prepares us for the third voice, that of Jerusalem, which delivers the message, the good news, that God is ‘coming with power’. God will accompany his people as they return home from exile on the way prepared for them, showing tenderness and compassion like a loving shepherd. The three voices are one in proclaiming the coming of God to save.

Psalm 96 (95) The psalm too announces the coming of the Lord, as he ‘comes to rule the earth’. The whole of creation welcomes God in rejoicing, and the message is for ‘all the peoples’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (18:12-14)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains and go in search of the stray? Amen I say to you, if he finds it, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

The gospel takes up the image of God as shepherd which occurred at the end of the Isaiah reading. The short parable of the lost sheep occurs in Luke 15 with two other parables, the lost coin and the lost son, all of them about God’s rejoicing on the return of the sinner. Here in Matthew’s gospel this parable is part of Jesus’ discourse about community. It teaches that the community is the place where forgiveness and care for the lost should be practised.

Should we seek out the lost, or wait for them to return?

God’s good news of salvation is especially relevant for those who are lost.

MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT

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

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,
parched ground will become a marsh
and thirsty land springs of water;
lairs where the jackals used to live
will become plots of reed and rushes.
And through it will run a highway
which will be called the Sacred Way.
The unclean will not be allowed to use it:
it shall be for God’s people
and the fool will not stray along it.
No lion will be there,
no predator set foot on it,
none shall be found there;
the redeemed shall walk there.
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.

The healing of the natural world and the healing of human beings are intertwined in this poem. As so often in the second part of Isaiah, for example in chapter 41, so also here the desert becomes fertile. The tone is especially exuberant, for the ‘glory’ (kabod) of the Lord, the ‘splendour’ (hadar) of our God, glimpsed in Lebanon, Carmel and Sharon, is now revealed. The faint-hearted are consoled, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the dumb speak. Once the land becomes fertile, a ‘Sacred Way’ (derek haqqodesh) is made for God’s people, where there is complete safety to return to Sion, ‘shouting for joy’. The passage anticipates the poems of the second Isaiah. As in Isaiah 49, Sion’s children will return from the nations. ‘Sorrow and sighing’ are at an end.

Psalm 85 (84) God comes to save. ‘Justice marches before him’, and ‘peace follows his steps’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (5:17-26)

Now it happened that he was teaching one day, and Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had come from every village in Galilee, from Judaea and from Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was there that he should heal. And now some men came, bringing on a bed a paralysed man whom they were trying to bring in and lay down in front of him. But as they could find no way of getting the man through the crowd, they went up onto the top of the house and lowered him and his stretcher down through the tiles into the middle, in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith he said, ‘My friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ The scribes and the Pharisees began to discuss this: ‘Who is this man, talking blasphemy? Who but God alone can forgive sins?’ But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, made them this reply, ‘What are you discussing in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he said to the paralysed man – ‘I order you: get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.’ And immediately before their eyes he got up, picked up what he had been lying on and went home glorifying God. They were all astounded and glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today.’

While the Isaiah reading described the healing of the earth and of human lives, the gospel focusses on one man. The paralysed man takes no part in the healing. It is the faith of his friends which Jesus ‘sees’, lavishly giving healing to the sick man. He is the recipient of the power of God through Jesus, firstly as his sins are forgiven and his heart healed. His getting up and going home confirms that Jesus does indeed have power to heal the whole person. The religious leaders seem unwilling to acknowledge that God’s healing can be bestowed in this way, but the people are ecstatic. They are more open to the surprises God can work.

How might religious faith close our minds to the surprises of God?

God works for our good even when we are unaware of God’s power.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR C

A reading from the prophet Baruch (5:1-9)

Jerusalem, take off your garb of sorrow and distress,
put on for evermore the beauty of God’s glory,
wrap around you the cloak of God’s righteousness;
put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Eternal,
for God will show your splendour to every nation under heaven
and the name God gives you for evermore will be,
“Peace-through-Righteousness”, and “Glory-through-Devotion”.
Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights
and turn your eyes to the east:
see your children reassembled
from the setting of the sun to its rising
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing because God has remembered them.
Though they left you on foot, dragged off by enemies,
now God brings them back to you,
carried gloriously like a royal throne.
For God has decreed that each high mountain
should be brought low,
the everlasting hills and valleys
should be filled and the ground levelled
so that Israel can walk safely in the glory of God.
The glades and every fragrant tree
will provide shade for Israel at God’s command;
for God will lead Israel with joy in the light of his glory,
with the mercy and righteousness which come from him.’

The book of Baruch, written in post-exilic times, and preserved in the Greek Bible, takes up the themes of the second Isaiah. The whole passage is addressed to Jerusalem. She is called upon to dress herself with God’s ‘glory’ (doxa) and God’s ‘righteousness’ (dikaiosune). The time of mourning is over. She will be displayed by God to the nations, and receive new names. Her children are returning from exile, from east and west (Isaiah 49). They rejoice ‘because God has remembered them’. As announced in Isaiah 40, the mountains will be levelled and the valleys filled. Trees will provide shade for the travelling people ‘at God’s command’. God’s final gifts are ‘the light of his glory’, ‘mercy’ (eleemosune) and ‘righteousness’. The themes of Advent are beautifully presented in this text.

Psalm 126(125) celebrates the return from exile, and the marvels worked by God. Tears are replaced by laughter and song.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians (1:3-6,8-11)

I thank my God every time I remember you, and in every prayer of mine for you all. I pray with joy at your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, confident that the One who began good work in you will bring it to completion by the Day of Christ Jesus. For God is my witness how much I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus; and this I pray, that your love for one another may overflow more and more with knowledge and complete understanding that will enable you to discern what is best, so that you may be innocent and blameless for the Day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

Paul had a particular affection for the Christians of Philippi. He tells them that when he prays for them he prays always ‘with joy’. They have been constant in their faith right from the start, and God will bring to perfection the good work begun in them for the ‘day’ (hemera) of Christ Jesus. Paul’s commitment to them reflects the depth of feeling of Christ Jesus, and he prays that their love (agape) will grow stronger with greater knowledge and understanding. On the ‘day’ of Christ they will be ‘innocent and blameless’, filled with the ‘fruit of righteousness (dikaiosune)’, that gift of God, which they receive ‘through Jesus Christ’, ‘to the glory and praise of God’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (3:1-6)

In the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the territories of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the desert. He went into the whole Jordan area proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of Isaiah the prophet:

A voice of one crying in the desert:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill be levelled,
the crooked shall be straightened
and rough places made into smooth roads,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Luke’s introduction of John the Baptist goes to great lengths to place him in the context of contemporary rulers, both secular and religious. Luke also has the ‘word of God’ coming to John as to a prophet. In the words of Jesus, John is a prophet, and ‘more than a prophet’ (Luke 7:26). He proclaims ‘a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’. John also fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah 40, and Luke extends the quotation, already used from that chapter by Mark and Matthew, to include the levelling of hills and mountains and the filling in of the valleys, all in preparation for the coming of the Lord. This allows him to reach Isaiah’s words ‘and all flesh shall see the salvation of God’. Luke is concerned to point out that the Messiah will come for the salvation of all nations.

What is special in Luke’s presentation of John the Baptist?

God works amid the complex events of human history.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR B

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (40:1-5, 9-11)

‘Comfort, O comfort my people,’
says your God.
‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem
and cry out to her
that her period of service is ended,
her penalty has been paid;
from the hand of the Lord she has received
double for all her sins.’
A voice crying out,
‘In the desert prepare a way for the Lord.
Make straight across the wastelands
a highway for our God.
Let every ravine be filled in,
every mountain and hill be brought down;
the crooked shall be straight,
the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
and all humanity shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’
Go up on a high mountain, Zion,
herald of good news!
Lift up your voice with power, Jerusalem,
herald of good news!
Lift it up without fear!
Say to the cities of Judah,
‘See, here is your God.’
See the Lord God coming with power,
his arm rules for him,
see, his reward is with him,
his prize goes before him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd,
gathering the lambs in his arms,
holding them against his breast
and leading the mother ewes.

The second part of the book of Isaiah, chapters 40-55, opens with these consoling words addressed to the people, who have been exiled to Babylon. Their penalty has been paid. Something new is approaching. A first voice announces: ‘prepare the way (derek)’, so that God may come to lead the people back along a highway prepared for them.  God does not just speak. God acts. God travels with people. Human beings will see ‘the glory (kabod) of God’. Then the voice of Sion is summoned to deliver with power and without fear the good news, ‘See, here is your God.’ God comes with power, but also with tenderness, cradling the lambs at his breast. The ‘second Isaiah’ announces the gentle fidelity of God.

Psalm 85(84) The voice of God heralds peace. The glory of God ‘dwells in our land’. Mercy and faithfulness connect this psalm with the ‘good news’ announced in the first reading.

A reading from the second letter of St Peter (3:8-14)

But one thing, beloved, you must never forget, is that with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. The Lord is not delaying his promises as some conceive delay, but he is being patient with you, not wanting anyone to be lost, but everyone to come to repentance. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and melt away, the earth and all that it contains will be revealed.

Since everything is coming to an end like this, what sort of people should you be, in holy conduct and devotion, while you wait for the day of God to come, eager for the coming of that day, on which the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat? In accordance with his promise let us wait for the new heavens and new earth, where righteousness is at home. So then, my dear friends, while you are waiting for these events, be eager to be found by him in peace, blameless and unsullied.

These Christians are anxious that the return of Christ has been delayed. But God, who is beyond time, grants time for repentance and growth. When it does come, the Day (hemera) of the Lord will be sudden and dramatic. Christians should nevertheless be ‘eager’ for the Day, as they await ‘the new heavens and new earth’, living ‘in peace, blameless and unsullied’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark (1:1-8)

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus the Messiah, Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah:
Look, I am sending my messenger in front of you
who will prepare your way.
A voice of one crying in the desert:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.

John the Baptist was in the desert, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptised by him in the River Jordan as they confessed their sins. John wore a garment of camel-skin, and a leather belt round his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And as he proclaimed he said, ‘After me is coming the one who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

These are the opening words of the Gospel according to Mark, the first words of the first gospel to be written. The evangelist proclaims Jesus as the Messiah, and Son of God, and straightaway adds the words of the prophet from our first reading. The time of fulfilment has come, and the voice of John the Baptist is indeed the ‘voice of one crying in the desert’. Mark goes on to describe the ministry of John the Baptist. ‘Repentance’ is not simply sorrow for sin, but commitment to a change of behaviour. John, who is dressed in the style of the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1), accompanies his preaching with the ritual of baptism, performed in the river Jordan, but he explains that his baptism with water is simply a preparation for the one who is coming, whom John describes as ‘more powerful than me’, and who will baptise ‘with the Holy Spirit’.

Why does John call Jesus ‘more powerful’?

Pray for the readiness to change.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR A

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

A branch will spring from the stock of Jesse,
a shoot will grow from his roots.
On him will rest the spirit of the Lord,
the spirit of wisdom and insight,
the spirit of counsel and power,
the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord:
his delight will be in fear of the Lord.
His judgement will not be by appearances,
his verdict not given on hearsay.
He will judge the weak with righteousness
and give fair sentence for the poor of the land.
He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth
and with the breath of his lips bring death to the wicked.
Righteousness will be the belt around his waist
and truth the belt about his hips.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard lie down with the kid,
calf, lion and fat-stock beast together,
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear will graze,
their young will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like the ox.
The infant will play over the hole of the adder,
the baby will put its hand into the viper’s lair.
No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain,
for the land will be full of knowledge of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea.
That day, the root of Jesse,
standing as a signal for the peoples,
will be sought out by the nations
and its dwelling will be glorious.

In the final verses of chapter 10, which immediately precede this passage, we hear of the Lord God’s judgement on tall and proud trees, which symbolise powerful and arrogant rulers. The contrast with the ‘branch which will spring from the stock of Jesse’ is striking. God can use this humble descendant of David, filling him with the multiple gifts of the Spirit, so that he gives good judgment, especially for the poor and the weak, and ‘strikes the violent with the rod of his mouth’. The establishment of ‘righteousness’ (sedeq) brings in its wake ecological harmony, as animals hitherto antagonistic become peaceable, and a little boy leads them. There will be ‘no hurt, no harm’ on God’s holy mountain, for the land will be ‘full of the knowledge of the Lord’. A second and similar image concludes the passage: the root of Jesse will be a ‘signal for the peoples’, a banner to rally them. The Messiah arising from Israel and sent to Israel has nevertheless a universal role: his dwelling among the nations will reveal God’s glory (kabod).

Psalm 72 (71) The Messiah will bring peace and justice. He will save the poor and the needy. ‘All nations will bless his name.’

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (15:4-9)

Everything that was written earlier was written for our instruction so that we should have hope through perseverance and through the encouragement of the scriptures. May the God of perseverance and encouragement give you all the same purpose, following the example of Christ Jesus, so that, united in heart and mind, you may together give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one voice.

Accept one another, then, as Christ accepted you, for the glory of God. I tell you that Christ became a servant of the circumcised for the sake of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to our fathers, and so that the gentiles should give glory to God for his mercy, as it is written:       Therefore I shall praise you among the nations and sing praise to your name.

Perseverance (hupomone) and encouragement (paraklesis) are gifts of God. Paul stresses that both gifts are derived from the holy Scriptures, given to God’s people and handed on to Christians, gifts which bring hope. Paul prays that Christians may receive from the God of perseverance and encouragement the grace to follow ‘the example of Christ Jesus’. This means accepting one another, ‘for the glory of God’. Christ was first of all ‘servant of the circumcised for the sake of God’s truth’, in order to be faithful to the promises  made in earlier times regarding the nations (Genesis 12:3). Hence both Jew and Gentile come to praise God, as they acknowledge the mercy shown to them.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (3:1-12)

In those days, John the Baptist came, proclaiming in the desert of Judaea, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven has drawn near.’ This was the man spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said:

A voice of one crying in the desert,
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.’

John himself wore a garment of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole region around the Jordan district kept going out to him, and they were baptised by him in the River Jordan as they confessed their sins. But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce fruit worthy of repentance, and do not be satisfied with saying to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees, so any tree failing to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you with water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise 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 in a fire that never goes out.’

John the Baptist is always introduced to us on the Second Sunday of Advent. Matthew’s account has John preach with the very same words Jesus will later use: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.’ In this way Matthew stresses John’s role as precursor. The evangelist uses words from the prophet Isaiah (40:3) to underline once again the fulfilment which comes with Jesus Christ. Specific to Matthew’s account are John’s fierce words to the Pharisees and Sadducees, when he calls them a ‘brood of vipers’, and speaks of ‘the wrath to come’. Their being descendants of Abraham makes no difference. The image of the axe being prepared to fell trees which do not bear fruit, so that they can be consigned to the fire, continues the fierce tone which John assumes in Matthew’s account. The coming Messiah will burn in fire the chaff separated from the wheat.

How do the fierce words of John the Baptist contrast with the tone of the preaching of Jesus?

Pray for the grace of repentance, and the willingness to begin again.

SATURDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (30:19-21,23-26)

People of Zion dwelling in Jerusalem,
you shall weep no more.
He will be merciful to you when you cry for help;
when he hears it, he will answer you.
Though the Lord has given you
the bread of suffering and the water of distress,
he who is your teacher will no longer remain hidden
and your eyes will see your teacher.
Whether you turn to the right or left
your ears will hear these words behind you,
‘This is the way, keep to it.’
He will send rain for the seed you sow in the ground,
and the bread that the ground provides
will be rich and abundant.
On that day, your cattle will graze in wide pastures.
Oxen and donkeys that work the land
will eat wild sorrel for fodder,
winnowed by the shovel and pitchfork.
On every lofty mountain,
on every high hill, there will be streams flowing with water
on the day of the great slaughter when the strongholds fall.
Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight
and sunlight itself be seven times brighter –
like the light of seven days in one –
on the day the Lord dresses the wound of his people
and heals the scars of the blows they have received.

Multiple transformations are announced in this reading. Transformation from weeping to rejoicing, from suffering and distress to a vision of the true ‘teacher’, who reassures the people with the words: ‘This is the way.’ Transformation in nature too with regular rain for the ground, so that the fields are productive, rich bread is plentiful, and good fodder available for animals. The reference to ‘streams flowing with water’ is coupled with mention of ‘the great slaughter when the strongholds fall’, for this people, who have known the violence of oppression and war, will see the mighty cast down. The next image is even more majestic as moonlight is ‘bright as sunlight’ and the sun shines ‘seven times brighter’. The Lord, the healer of bodies and hearts, is evoked once more in the final verse of this extraordinary litany of God’s works of goodness for the people.

Psalm 147 (146) praises with exuberance the same Lord who ‘heals the broken-hearted’ and ‘binds up their wounds’, the same Lord who calls the stars by name.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (9:35-10:1,6-8))

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest.’

He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, with power to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness: ‘Go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. You received without charge, give without charge.’

The gifts of God in the Isaiah reading are brought by Jesus too: he brings true teaching in their synagogues, he proclaims the good news, and he heals. Like the God of Isaiah, who ‘dresses the wound of the people’, and the God invoked by the psalmist, who ‘heals the broken-hearted’, Jesus shows compassion for the ‘lost sheep of the house of Israel’. Furthermore, he enlists the help of the Twelve both in proclaiming the Kingdom and in healing. The free gifts they have received are to be given away freely, and in the first place, before the gentile mission, to the people of Israel. The Risen Jesus will send forth his disciples ‘to all nations’ (Matthew 28).

Why does Jesus send the Twelve to the House of Israel?

Pray for true compassion for Jew and Gentile alike.

FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (29:17-24)

In just a little while will not Lebanon become fertile land,
and fertile land be taken for a forest?
That day the deaf will hear the words of the book
and, free from shadow and darkness,
the eyes of the blind will see.
The lowly will once more find joy in the Lord
and the poorest of people will delight
in the Holy One of Israel;
for the oppressor will be no more,
the scoffer will have vanished
and all those alert to do evil destroyed –
those who cause people to sin by a word
and those who lay traps for the arbitrator at the gate
and pervert the cause of the righteous.
Therefore, thus says the Lord,
God of the House of Jacob, Abraham’s redeemer,
‘No more shall Jacob be ashamed,
no more shall his face grow pale,
for when his children see the work of my hands in their midst
they will hallow my name,
they will hallow the Holy One of Jacob
and will hold the God of Israel in awe.
The perverted in spirit will learn understanding
and murmurers accept instruction.’

Changes in the natural world herald changes in people’s hearts. Just as fertility increases in Lebanon, so, in a reversal of Isaiah’s call vision in chapter 6, the deaf will finally begin to hear, and the blind will begin to see. But it will be the lowly and the  poorest who will once again delight in the Lord, for their hearts have always been open to God. This opening up to God’s word will come because the ‘scoffer’ who belittles faith, the ‘oppressor’ who harms God’s people, and those who pervert others are brought to nothing. This vision announces the way of salvation, in which the humble are the first to see God’s truth. Then comes a solemnly introduced word of God, that the shame of Jacob is ended, for they see what God’s hand can do, and hallow the name of the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 27 (26) The psalmist also rejoices in God’s light, trusting in the full vision of the goodness of the Lord ‘in the land of the living’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (9:27-31)

As Jesus went on from there two blind men followed him crying out, ‘Have mercy on us, son of David.’ And when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up to him and he said to them, ‘Do you believe I can do this?’ They said, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes saying, ‘According to your faith, let it be done to you.’ And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, ‘Take care that no one knows about this.’ But when they had gone away, they talked about him all over the countryside.

Once more on this first Friday of Advent it is a question of the blind being able to see. These two blind men already have faith, for they herald Jesus as ‘son of David’, but Jesus questions them further. It is by touch that he heals their eyes, saying ‘according to your faith, let it be done to you’. They are forbidden to speak about the cure, for Jesus is cautious about unwanted popularity and acclaim. But the two formerly blind men, who had enthusiastically proclaimed him ‘son of David’, are not going to be silenced.

How much sight do you have, how much do you need?

Pray for a new vision of faith, which is not rigid and is willing to grow.

THURSDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (26:1-6)

That day, this song will be sung in Judah:
‘Ours is a strong city.
He has set up the salvation of walls and ramparts.
Open the gates, that the righteous people may come in,
a people that keeps faith!
Those of trustful mind you keep in peace,
in peace because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord for ever,
for the Lord is a rock of ages.
He has brought low the dwellers on the heights,
the lofty citadel he lays low,
brings it to the ground, flings it down in the dust.
It will be trodden under foot,
by the feet of the oppressed, the steps of the poor.’

A contrast between a ‘strong city’, where the faithful people dwell, and a ‘lofty citadel’, where others live ‘on the heights’, lies at the heart of this song to be sung in Judah. The people of the city are ‘righteous’ (tsaddiq). They ‘keep faith’, they are ‘of trustful mind’. These are the virtues which lead to peace (shalom). The Lord is described as a ‘rock of ages’, on whom the people can rely. By contrast those who dwell ‘on the heights’, in their ‘lofty citadel’, are brought to the ground, flung into the dust, to be trodden under foot by the very people they have oppressed, and ‘by the steps of the poor’. This passage extols faith, and condemns human pride.

Psalm 118 (117)  As the righteous entered the city in the Isaiah reading, so the just enter the Lord’s ‘own gate’ in this momentous psalm of the temple liturgy.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (7:21,24-27)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of Heaven, only the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible person who built a house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid person who built a house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

Once again we have a contrast between two buildings, and an emphasis on faith, all in the context of ‘entering’ the kingdom of heaven. To hear the words of Jesus and to act on them is to build one’s house on rock. Whatever is thrown against this house does not bring it down. While the contrast in the first reading was between the faithful righteous people and the proud dwellers on the heights, the contrast here is between those who have the wisdom to heed the words of Jesus, and those who fail to do so. These are the final words of the Sermon on the Mount, inviting all disciples to ‘do the will’ of the Father by putting into practice the better justice (5:20) preached by Jesus.

How strong is my building of faith?

Pray for clarity and commitment.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (25:6-10a)

On this mountain, the Lord Sabaoth is preparing for all peoples
a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,
of succulent food, of well-strained wines.
On this mountain, he has destroyed
the veil which veiled all peoples,
the pall enveloping all nations.
He has destroyed death for ever.
Lord God has wiped away the tears from every cheek;
he has taken his people’s shame away over all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
And on that day it will be said,
‘Look, this is our God,
in him we put our hope that he would save us.
This is the Lord, we waited for him.
Let us exult and rejoice in his salvation.’
For the Lord’s hand will rest on this mountain.

The ‘apocalypse’ of Isaiah in chapters 24-27 points to the future and the end. ‘On this mountain’, surely Sion, God prepares an exquisite feast for all nations. ‘On this mountain’, God will remove the veil over people’s eyes, they will receive their sight, and God will destroy death for ever. God removes the tears of sadness, and the shame of guilt. This banquet symbolises not superficial and transient gifts but the complete healing offered by God. The people recognise in song the gift of salvation, and the presence of ‘the Lord’s hand’ ‘on this mountain’. Salvation, not judgement, is God’s last word.

Psalm 23 (22) What Isaiah promised to the peoples is received in this psalm by the individual at prayer. The shepherd God prepares a banquet, and welcomes people into the house of God.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (15:29-37)

Jesus went on from there and reached the shores of the Lake of Galilee, and he went up onto the mountain. He took his seat, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the deaf and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the deaf speaking, the crippled whole again, the lame walking and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.

But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, or they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where in a deserted place could we get sufficient bread for such a large crowd to have enough to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ They said, ‘Seven, and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks he broke them and began handing them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.

In this second account of the multiplication of loaves in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus, like God in the Isaiah reading, gives gifts on the mountain. The gifts of healing come first, for the lame, the crippled, the blind and the deaf, and ‘many others’. As in the first reading, the people ‘praise the God of Israel’. To prepare something for the people to eat Jesus relies on the assistance of the disciples. Though hesitant at first, they bring what they have. As at the Last Supper he will celebrate with them, Jesus gives thanks and breaks the bread. It is the disciples who bring the food to the crowds. Jesus uses the seeds of goodness in their hearts so that even among so many people an abundant amount of food remains.

What challenge does the gospel reading present?

Pray for confidence that God never refuses the gifts we need.

TUESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

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

A branch will spring from the stock of Jesse,
a shoot will grow from his roots.
On him will rest the spirit of the Lord,
the spirit of wisdom and insight,
the spirit of counsel and power,
the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord:
his delight will be in fear of the Lord.
His judgement will not be by appearances,
his verdict not given on hearsay.
He will judge the weak with righteousness
and give fair sentence for the poor of the land.
He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth
and with the breath of his lips bring death to the wicked.
Righteousness will be the belt around his waist
and truth the belt about his hips.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard lie down with the kid,
calf, lion and fat-stock beast together,
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear will graze,
their young will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like the ox.
The infant will play over the hole of the adder,
the baby will put its hand into the viper’s lair.
No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain,
for the land will be full of knowledge of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea.
That day, the root of Jesse,
standing as a signal for the peoples,
will be sought out by the nations
and its dwelling will be glorious.

This is one of just two messianic poems in the first part of Isaiah, the other being found in chapter 9. A branch, a shoot, will spring from the stock of Jesse, father of David. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, bestowing six qualities, from ‘wisdom’ to ‘the fear of the Lord’. His role is to judge the weak with righteousness and to rule for the poor with justice, for justice (tsedeq) will be his belt, and faithfulness (’emunah) will be around his waist. Cosmic harmony will be the result, with peaceful relationships established between all living things, as the conditions of paradise return. The vision of Isaiah embraces both justice and the environment, for the land will be full of the ‘knowledge of the Lord’, a seventh quality of the messianic age. The ‘root’ of Jesse will be a ‘signal’, sought after by all peoples, for it reveals the ‘glory’ (kabod) of the Lord to the nations.

Psalm 72 (71), a messianic psalm, reflects the thought of Isaiah 11, presenting the Messiah as bringer of justice, and friend of the poor.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (10:21-24)

Just at this time, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that was your good pleasure. Everything has been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’ Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them on their own, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and did not see it; to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.’

Jesus is the Messiah ‘filled with joy by the Holy Spirit’ and Jesus prays in thanksgiving to the Father. He says that ‘these things’ are hidden from the learned and the clever, and revealed to children. The following words of Jesus explain that it is through him that the little ones can know the Father. They are those chosen by Jesus to receive the revelation of the Father. Jesus then identifies some of these ‘little ones’, by pronouncing his disciples ‘blessed’ (makarioi). They are seeing and hearing the Messiah, long awaited by ‘prophets and kings’, by both religious and secular leadership.

What do we most treasure in God’s revelation?

Pray for a humble heart to be ready to learn new things about God.

MONDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (2:1-5)

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
It will happen in the last days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
will be established as the head of the mountains
and will be lifted above the heights.
Then all the nations will stream to it,
many peoples will come to it and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in his paths.’
For the Law will come from Zion
and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Then he will judge between the nations
and arbitrate between many peoples.
They will hammer their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into sickles.
Nation will not lift sword against nation;
no longer will they learn to make war.
House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

This reading announces movement in two directions. All the nations will go up to Sion, the mountain of God, and to the ‘house’ (bayit) of the Lord. The house is the temple in Jerusalem where the God of all creation and of all peoples has set his dwelling place. It is the dream of the prophet that God will be recognised beyond the people first chosen so that the men, women and children of the world will flock to God’s house. Then there is the movement of the Law, the teaching (torah) coming from God, coming out from God’s dwelling place. The Word (dabar) of God too will come down to teach and feed God’s people. The result is peace, for people will reject the ways of war and transform their weapons, their swords and spears, into ploughshares and sickles, to tend and cultivate the earth. In this way God provides ‘light’ for the peoples of the world.

FIRST READING IN YEAR A

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (4:2-6)

That day, the Lord’s seedling shall be beauty and glory,
the fruit of the land shall be the pride and ornament
of Israel’s survivors.
Those who are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem
will be called holy,
all those in Jerusalem marked out for life.
When the Lord has washed away the filth of Zion’s daughters
and, with the wind of judgement and the wind of burning, cleansed
Jerusalem of the blood shed in her,
the Lord will create, over every dwelling on Mount Zion
and over its places of assembly,
a cloud by day and by night smoke with the brightness of a flaring fire.
For over all the glory will be a canopy
and a tent to give shade by day from the heat,
and refuge and shelter from the storm and the rain.

The prophet uses botanical imagery, speaking of the ‘seedling’ (tsemah) of the Lord and the ‘fruit of the land’, quite possibly to evoke the messianic figure who will rule the ‘survivors’, the remnant of the people. These will be God’s ‘holy people’ who are ‘marked out for life’. Once they have been purged in suffering they will be protected by the Exodus symbols of cloud by day, and fire by night (Ex 13:21), newly ‘created’ by the Lord. The Lord’s glory, in the holy city, will be a ‘canopy’ and a ‘tent’ to shield from the heat, and a ‘refuge’ and ‘shelter’ to protect from the storm and the rain. God continues to keep the people safe.

Psalm 122 (121)  The psalm echoes the reading from Isaiah 2 with the multitudes coming to the temple of the Lord, and the longing for peace. As in both readings from Isaiah, the focus is on the holy city of Jerusalem.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (8:5-11)

When he went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed and in terrible pain.’ Jesus said to him, ‘I will come myself and cure him.’ The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man, “Go,” and he goes; to another, “Come,” and he comes; to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘Amen I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found faith as great as this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of Heaven.

It is their faith which brings people ‘from east and west’ to take their places at the feast of the kingdom. It is faith that has brought the pagan centurion to Jesus, pleading for his paralysed servant, who is in great pain. His faith leads him to trust that, despite Jesus’ willingness to visit him, Jesus does not need to go to the servant but can heal simply by speaking a word of command. That the centurion is not a member of the chosen people leads Jesus to be ‘astonished’ at his faith. It is right to see the connection between the ‘many peoples’ in Isaiah 2 and those ‘from east and west’ in the words of Jesus here.

Does my vision of the Church erect boundaries between people, or remove them?

Pray for a deepening sense of gratitude for the universal Church.

FIRST YEAR OF ADVENT - YEAR C

A reading from the prophet Jeremiah (33:14-16)

“Look, the days are coming – declares the Lord – when I shall fulfil the promise of happiness I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah:
In those days and at that time,
I shall make a righteous Branch grow for David
who will do what is just and righteous in the land.
In those days Judah will triumph
and Jerusalem live in safety.
And this is the name the city will be called:
The-Lord-is-our-Saving-Justice.”

The prophet Jeremiah announces that God will fulfil the ‘promise of happiness’,  the ‘good word’ (dabar tob), he had spoken. Jeremiah tells of a ‘Branch’ (tsemah), an appropriate living symbol of a righteous ruler from the stock, the line, of David. ‘Justice’ (mishpat) and ‘righteousness’ (tsedaqah) are constantly associated with the desired ruler. The rebuilt kingdom of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, destroyed by the Babylonians, will be re-established. The name of the final king of Judah, Zedekiah, meant ‘the Lord is my justice’, but he had failed to live out that justice and had rejected the word of the prophet. The ‘saving justice’ (tsedeq) of God will be found in days to come in the life of the city, rebuilt and renewed.

Psalm 25 (24) The psalm too speaks of the true ways of the Lord, which are proclaimed as ‘faithfulness’ and ‘love’.

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians (3:12-4:2)

May the Lord fill you to overflowing with love for each other and for all, just as our love for you overflows. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Finally, brothers and sisters, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus that, as we instructed you how to live in the way that pleases God, so you should also live so as to make more progress still. You know what instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.

Paul speaks of an overflowing of love (agape) between Christians and beyond the Christian family, and of his love for the Christians of Thessalonika. This is coupled with the holiness (hagiosyne) which comes from a blameless life. In this way Christians should prepare for the coming (parousia) of the Lord ‘with all his saints’. The teaching of Paul, given with the authority of the Lord Jesus, is to be the guide in making more and more progress in the life of faith.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke  (21:25-28,34-36)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth distress among nations in confusion at the roaring of the sea and waves, as people faint from fear and expectation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is drawing near.

‘Watch yourselves, so that your hearts are not weighed down by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day comes upon you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all those living on the face of the whole earth. Stay awake, praying at all times that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are going to happen, and to take your stand before the Son of man.’

These lines are from the concluding words of Jesus’ discourse about the future and the end. He has spoken of the destruction of Jerusalem, and now speaks of terrifying cosmic events, distress and confusion among the nations. This is the prelude to the high point of these events, the return of the Son of Man, coming on the clouds (Daniel 7:13). At this point Christians should ‘stand erect’ and ‘hold their heads high’, for this is the moment of ‘liberation’ (apolutrosis). The final words are another encouragement to stay awake, lest the day springs on them ‘like a trap’, and, crucially in Luke’s gospel, to ‘pray at all times’, as they wait for the coming of the Lord.

How does faith help us amid the dire fears facing humanity?

Pray for the courage to prefer the words of Jesus to the temptations of the world.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT - YEAR B

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (63:16b-17,19b; 64:3-7)

You, Lord, are our Father,
‘Our Redeemer’ is your name from of old.
Why, Lord, do you let us stray from your paths
and harden our hearts so that we do not fear you?
Come back, for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
Oh, that you would tear the heavens open
and come down!
In your presence the mountains would quake.
No ear has heard,
no eye has seen any god but you,
so act like this for those who await him.
You come to meet those who act justly;
by their ways they remember you.
See, you have been angry and we have sinned;
now we persist in your ways and we shall be saved.
We have all been like a thing unclean,
all our righteous deeds like filthy rags.
Like a leaf we, all of us, wither,
and our misdeeds bear us off like the wind.
No one calls on your name,
or attempts to hold fast to you,
for you have hidden your face from us
and given us up to the power of our misdeeds.
And yet, Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay and you shape us,
all of us are the work of your hands.

This psalm-like reading begins and ends acclaiming God as ‘our Father’ (’abinu). These last chapters of the book of Isaiah date from after the return from the Babylonian exile. God is the ‘redeemer’ who has freed the people. Once again, they urge him to intervene, to ‘tear the heavens open’, to show that God is there for the people. Profound awareness of sin leads those who pray to describe themselves as ‘unclean’, as ‘filthy rags’, as withered leaves. The return home to the land of Israel has not solved their problems, but they acknowledge their guilt, and know themselves to be clay shaped by the potter. ‘We are all of us the work of your hand.’

Psalm 80 (79) The psalm repeatedly calls to God: ‘Bring us back.’ Using different images the ‘shepherd of Israel’ is urged to ‘visit this vine’ and to give life to those who ask for help.

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians (1:3-9)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am continually thanking God about you, for the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus; for in every way you have been richly endowed in him, in every kind of speech and knowledge, just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; he will continue to give you strength till the end, to be irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is trustworthy; through him you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

In these early verses of his first letter to the Corinthians Paul celebrates their faith. Before embarking on criticisms of the community he acknowledges the grace they have received ‘in Christ Jesus’. They have been enriched ‘in every kind of speech and knowledge’. The ‘testimony (martyrion) of Christ’ has grown among them. Paul emphasises that the Christian community is waiting for the ‘revelation’ (apokalypsis) of our Lord Jesus Christ, and must be prepared for his coming. Finally, God is ‘trustworthy’ (pistos), and it is by God’s will that they were called into communion (koinonia) with Christ.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark  (13:33-37)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Take care, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad, leaving his home, and putting his servants in charge, each with his own work to do; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn; when he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!’

These are the final words of Jesus’ discourse on the end of the world. They are punctuated with the call to ‘stay awake’, familiar in our Advent liturgy. This speaks of the need to live, not in lazy indifference, but responsibly in the present, not gazing aimlessly into the future. Lack of knowledge of the ‘time’ (kairos) makes vigilance even more urgent. The parable of the absent master does not need to be taken to a conclusion. Its meaning is obvious.

What might ‘staying awake’ mean in your life?

Pray for faith amid the troubles of the world.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT - YEAR A

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (2:1-5)

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
It will happen in the last days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
will be established as the head of the mountains
and will be lifted above the heights.
Then all the nations will stream to it,
many peoples will come to it and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in his paths.’
For the Law will come from Zion
and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Then he will judge between the nations
and arbitrate between many peoples.
They will hammer their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into sickles.
Nation will not lift sword against nation;
no longer will they learn to make war.
House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Advent begins with Isaiah’s vision of peace. His vision is the ‘word’ (dabar) which Isaiah ‘saw’ (hazah) about Judah and Jerusalem. Hearing and seeing are crucial in this prophetic book (Isaiah 6). The focus is on Sion, the mountain of the house of the Lord, towards which the nations stream. There is a universal desire to be taught the ‘ways’ and the ‘paths’ of God. Sion, Jerusalem, is the channel by which the Law (torah) and the Word (dabar) are given. At God’s judgement the weapons of war are put to peaceful use, and the whole ‘house of Jacob’, joined by the nations, walks in the light of the Lord.

Psalm 122 (121) Once again people are making their way to God’s house. They go to praise the Lord and to pray for peace, peace for Jerusalem and peace for the brothers and sisters.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (13:11-14)

Besides, you know the time has come; now is the moment for you to stop sleeping and wake up, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first began to believe. The night is far gone, day is near; so let us throw off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us live decently, as in the light of day, not with orgies or drunkenness, promiscuity or licentiousness, not with quarrelling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfil its desires.

St Paul tells us the ‘time’ (kairos) has come, the hour to arise from sleep, for the longed-for salvation is near at hand. The night is gone, and the ‘day’ (hemera) is approaching, the day of the Lord. He echoes the words of Isaiah, that we should walk ‘in the light of the Lord’. Twice he speaks of putting on new clothing: take off the ‘works of darkness’, and ‘put on the armour of light’, for Christians are engaged in a battle against the forces of evil. Avoid all that is contrary to Christian life, and ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (24:37-44)

Jesus said: ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will be the coming of the Son of man. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, until the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of man. Then of two men in the fields, one is taken, one left; of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken, one left. So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.

You may be sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

The early days of Advent invite us to reflect on the ‘second coming’, and on our lack of readiness. Jesus speaks about the ‘coming’ (parousia) of the Son of man, the prelude to the end. He insists that the time is not known, but stresses the danger of not being prepared. Noah’s contemporaries were unprepared and the flood destroyed them. The destruction is indiscriminate. But the disciples of the Lord are to be prepared, to ‘watch’, to ‘stay awake’. A further parable, about the burglar who breaks into a house, underlines the danger of being unprepared. Jesus repeats the warning to be ready (hetoimos) at any hour.

How does reflection on the second coming fit with preparation for the birth of Christ?

Pray for the ability to live in readiness and confidence.