Third Sunday of Advent

Jan 13 2025

Scripture Study for

Isaiah depicts two ways in which the renewal promised by God is manifested: the barren wilderness filled with new life, and the healing of those suffering some physical malady. In a world that believes that God created everything in proper order, imperfection of any kind is often perceived as a consequence of sin. This explains why healing was seen as restoration to that proper order. Such restoration was a sign of the transformation that only God can effect. It was a testimony to God’s presence in the world and to God’s victory over evil. God had reestablished the original order of creation, and all life began again to flourish.

Patience is the controlling theme in the second reading. Parousía, which means “coming” or “presence,” became a technical term for the future coming of Christ to inaugurate the definitive manifestation of God’s eternal dominion. Because the exact time of this advent was unknown, patience would be necessary until that day of fulfillment dawned. The example of the farmer waiting for the crop to grow and mature highlights some important aspects of this patient waiting. Believers are told to take the prophets as their models in bearing the hardships of life and in waiting patiently for the coming of the Lord.

In his response to the questions of the Baptist’s followers, Jesus links his own wondrous deeds with the prophets’ allusions to visions of fulfillment. Healings of the needy were all signs of the dawning of the eschatological age. They were also indications of the type of messiah that Jesus would be. Those who were expecting a political or military leader who would free them from Roman domination or a priest who would bring them together as a cultic community would be disappointed with Jesus. Jesus then states that regardless of how insignificant his followers might be, as citizens of the reign of heaven they enjoyed a privilege that John did not know.

Jan 07 2025

Darkness Is Not the Final Answer

John the Baptist sits in prison. He waits for the one who is to come. No angel bursts his bonds. No heavenly blast levels the stones to release him. The holy prophet expects death, for he had dared to speak out, challenging those in power. There is anticipation outside the walls, but the excitement passes him by. He waits in darkness.

The hubbub that surrounds Christmas may pass some of us by as well. We may be praying for healing. We may ache for reconciliation. We may dwell in deep grief or loneliness or heartache. Christmas can be a particularly painful time for some of us. Like John the Baptist, we may feel the darkness.

But John the Baptist was not just a reed swaying in the wind. Jesus says of him that there has been none greater. From his Jewish roots, he knew to hold fast to the Lord who loves the just, to the Most High who sets captives free, to the One who causes the desert to bloom again. And Jesus showed him an answer to fuel his faith: Look, the lame walk! Lepers are cleansed! The dead are raised! The darkness was not the final answer.

Advent is a contemplative time, a season for quiet hopefulness. Isaiah says, “Be strong! Fear not!” We too are waiting for the one who is to come. We know the conclusion to the story of Advent: Baby Jesus was born. Yet we are still waiting for the final dawning, to see the glory of God. Jesus shows us answers today as well, revealing himself sometimes in very small ways—in the sparkle of snow, in the tiny toenails of a newborn child, and in the smile of a loved one. The darkness is not our final answer either.

Consider/Discuss

We have been looking at the edginess of Advent. We are looking for light. Yet sometimes the darkness of the winter and the challenges of life can make us feel as if we are sitting with John the Baptist as he waits for one to come. Where in our lives could we use more of the Lord’s light? In what situations could we use courage?
What “small ways” have we seen that give us hope?

Living and Praying with the Word

Lord, as the winter season grows darker, sometimes we feel as though we are trying to manufacture light. All of the Christmas hubbub does not always feel real. Give us grace to sit quietly in your blessed darkness. We appreciate that you are our only Light, our only Savior. Stir our will to surrender all of our Christmas preparations to you. Let us do only what is for your glory and let the rest go, and rest in your peace.

Jan 07 2025

Scripture Study for

In the first reading, God offers a vision of Israel’s restoration after the Babylonian exile. This is conveyed first through the image of the flowering wilderness: what is presently “lifeless” will soon host “abundant flowers” and “joyful song.” This reversal represents God’s ability to bring life where there is none. Thus, this affirmation is accompanied by a general exhortation: “Be strong, fear not!” God the Redeemer comes to bring the people back home. The healing of the parched land is mirrored by the healing of the weak and infirm, the sorrowful and grieving, who will—like the wilderness—sing joyfully.

James offers an exhortation to remain firm in belief and steadfast in moral uprightness while waiting for the coming of the Lord. The emphasis throughout is on “patience,” mentioned four times. Just as crops cannot be rushed, neither can Christ’s return, which will happen in due time. All the same, James assures his audience that “the coming of the Lord is at hand.” So, do not allow Christ’s apparent delay to be the occasion either for losing hope or growing slack. James particularly focuses on complaining about others, which is a form of judging. When Christ does come, he will come as Judge; it is proper for him, not for us, to judge.

In prison, John the Baptist has heard rumors of Jesus, whom he had earlier baptized (3:13–17). Now he seeks to know if Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah (“the one who is to come”). Jesus lets John draw his own conclusions. He has proclaimed good news to the poor and he has healed, activities expected of the Messiah. Jesus, in turn, asks the crowds about John, affirming that he is indeed the prophet they went out to see, and he is the one sent to announce the Messiah. Thus, Jesus’ identity as Messiah is confirmed both by his actions and by the fact that someone they had all recognized as a prophet had prepared the way for him.

Dec 13 2024

St. Paul’s Five-Step Program

St. Paul’s letters always offer practical advice, flowing from whatever particular teaching he offers. Today’s second reading contains a series of suggestions on how to live joyfully in Christ. They can be heard as independent statements. But consider Paul’s words as offering a program for “rejoicing in the Lord always.”

First, he advises, “let your kindness be known to all.” This advice reminds me of a bumper sticker: “Commit random acts of kindness.” In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist’s call for repentance offers some concrete forms of living kindly. “If you have two cloaks, share one with someone who has none,” he says to the crowds. He then advises tax collectors not to use their office to gouge the people, and he advises soldiers not to bully or blackmail.

Paul’s second “step” calls us to keep aware that the Lord is near. Our God does not abandon us, even though we have times we might not feel God’s presence. Remember the words of the risen Lord: “I will be with you always, even to the end of time” (Matthew 28:20).

Paul’s third word advises us how to keep aware of Christ by turning to him whenever anxiety threatens to overwhelm us, and uniting our prayers with his as we make our requests known to the Father. When this is done, steps four and five follow, when peace will “guard your hearts and minds,” and out of this peace joy will flow joy as a gift of the Spirit.

Consider/Discuss

When have you known joy in your life? Is it the same as happiness?
Are you able to make your requests known to God?
Have you asked for the gift of joy from the Holy Spirit?

Responding to the Word

God who created all things and who sent Jesus to be with us until the end of our days, hear my prayer this day that I may know the joy of the risen Lord. Give me an awareness that the Lord is indeed near, and send the peace that surpasses all understanding into my heart.

Dec 13 2024

Scripture Study for

Zephaniah’s oracle of salvation directs the people to “Shout! . . . Sing! . . . Be glad and exult!” The reason for this rejoicing is their deliverance from enemies. The misfortune they endured may have been punishment for their sins, but God has removed that judgment and now dwells in their midst as King of Israel and as a mighty savior. “On that day” is an allusion to the day of the Lord, a time in the future when the justice of God will be executed throughout the world. This passage describes the tenderness God has for this restored people and the joy that their restoration evokes in God.

The joy that Paul advocates is not merely the happiness that comes from enjoyment of life. It is joy in the Lord, joy that is grounded in faith in Jesus Christ. Paul calls the believers to live lives of kindness, of gentle forbearance, of willingness to forego retaliation. Such genuine Christian behavior should be visible to all. “The Lord is near” is an end-of-time watchword, acclaiming the future coming of the Lord to set all things right. If the people have lived righteously, the Lord will come to them as a compassionate savior rather than as a severe judge. Finally, the fruit of such righteousness is peace.

The Gospel reading recounts instructions given by John the Baptist to those who came out to see and hear him and to be baptized. In response to their question “What should we do?” he challenges them to carry out their daily responsibilities with concern for others, honesty, and integrity. The people were looking for the Christ, the “anointed one.” Lest they mistake him for this Christ, John contrasts himself with the one who is to come, insisting that he is not worthy to undo the sandals of that long-awaited one. John’s baptism with water was a ritual of repentance and cleansing. The Christ’s baptism of the Spirit will purge and transform our very souls.