Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.

Jan 29 2025

Scripture Study for

David has amassed enough wealth to build a palace for himself, and he is no longer threatened by enemies. The author states very clearly that the peace that David enjoys is not the result of any victory of his own but comes from the good pleasure of the Lord. Now David realizes that the progress he and his people have made politically and socially has not carried over to their religious life. He turns to the prophet Nathan and tells him that he wishes to build a fitting temple for his God. Though God legitimates the Davidic ruling line, it will be Solomon, a descendant of David, not David himself, who will build the temple.

Paul sums up the central theme of his own teaching, namely, that God’s new act of revelation in Christ will bring even the Gentiles to the commitment of faith. Paul claims that the revelation of God in Christ was really present in ages past, but as a mystery that was kept secret. This revelation might have been hidden in the past, but those who have eyes of faith today should be able to read these writings and there discover something of God’s plan. The purpose of the revelation of this mystery is universal salvation. All, Gentiles included, are to be brought to the commitment of faith.

The account of the Annunciation is cast in a traditional pattern of angelic birth announcements, alerting the reader to the divine significance of future events. Typical in angelic appearances, Mary’s reaction is fear. The angel reassures her that everything that will happen in and through her is in God’s plan. She does not question that this will happen, but how it will happen, because she is a virgin. The angel assures her that she will be overshadowed by God’s Spirit and power. The scene concludes with Mary’s acceptance. As a servant of the Lord, she is also a model of openness and receptivity.

Jan 29 2025

Scripture Study for

The anointing of the prophet mentioned in the first reading may be a figure of speech, but the duties that accompany it are very real and explicitly social. They include healing and comforting. The primary duty is prophetic proclamation. The good news promises the coming of the “year of the Lord,” a time when the poor will be the beneficiaries of the blessings of God. This will be a time when the oppressive economic and political systems will have to contend with the vengeance of God. The reading begins with a promise of salvation and ends with a prayer of thanksgiving for the salvation granted.

The Letter to the Thessalonians includes exhortation, encouragement, and blessing. Paul does not overlook the realities of suffering in life, nor does he advocate a false sense of happiness. The joy he urges is the joy that comes from knowing that in Christ’s resurrection, even death itself has been overcome. This should be the source of their thanksgiving. He admonishes the Christians to discern the spirits active within the community. He prays that God will bring to completion their holiness in every aspect: spirit, soul, and body. He ends on a note of confidence, assuring them of God’s faithfulness to the promises of salvation made to them.

The first verses of the Gospel reading clarify the identity of John the Baptist in relation to the light that is to come into the world. John is not the light, but is to bear testimony to the light. He is the voice that proclaims that the light is soon to come. The second section contains his own testimony regarding his relationship with Jesus, the man who was to come after him. John refuses to be identified with any messianic figure. He is not the messiah. His role is preparatory; he explains this when the officials question his reasons for baptizing. John is content to be the witness and the herald, nothing more.

Jan 29 2025

Scripture Study for

The first reading is a story meant to explain the antagonism among human beings as well as the struggle they experience against evil. The story is set in primeval time in order to show that such antagonism and struggle are universal and perennial. This is a story about sin and its consequences. Contrary to artistic representations of Mary as the Immaculate Conception, it is the woman’s offspring, not the woman herself, who will be in constant conflict with the offspring of the serpent. According to this story, human beings might have to struggle with evil, but they will not be conquered by it.

Paul insists that believers were not chosen because they were holy and blame less, but that they might be holy and blameless. In other words, salvation is the cause of and not the reward for righteousness. We do not earn it, it is given to us. Furthermore, it is through Christ, the only real Son of God, that others can become God’s adopted children. The reading begins and ends with praise of God. Regardless of when believers may be called, they are called to praise God’s glory. Adoption, redemption, and forgiveness of sin are the primary reasons for praising God’s glory.

Reading the account of the promise of the conception of Jesus on the feast of the conception of Mary has led to great confusion. However, the Gospel story is explicitly about Mary, not Jesus. She has been chosen to be the mother of God. As the first reading reminds us, all human beings struggle with sin and its consequences. At issue is not the question of a virgin being a mother, but of a vulnerable human being bearing the Son of God. This feast assures us that Mary was “full of grace,” God’s “favored one.” We were chosen and made holy after Christ’s resurrection; she was chosen and made holy in anticipation of it. God’s plan for the whole world is now being accomplished.

Jan 29 2025

Scripture Study for

The second major section of Isaiah tells the people to prepare for the com ing of their God by removing any obstacle that might prevent God’s approach or obstruct the view of God’s glory that onlookers might enjoy. A second directive is given to people living within the broken and desolate city of Jerusalem. They too are to be heralds of good news, announcing that the mighty, victorious God is coming to them. In both cases, the people are directed to act out their release even before they have tangible evidence of it, suggesting that future events are being accomplished in the present. The people’s faith in this prophetic word is itself the strongest evidence of their deliverance.

The author of Second Peter insists that despite the long delay, the Day of the Lord will indeed come. Its timing, like that of a thief in the night, is unpredict able. Therefore, the Christians should not grow weary of waiting, nor should they become careless. As God has been patient in the face of their sinfulness, so they must be patient in the face of God’s apparent delay. The author of the letter then employs apocalyptic imagery to describe the dissolution of everything, both the heavens and the earth. Finally, behavior that suits one who stands in anticipation of the salvation that is to come is addressed briefly but succinctly.

Mark’s Gospel points to the new beginning of God’s manifestation to all. He interweaves the words of the prophets Malachi (3:1, 23) and Isaiah (40:3; cf. Exodus 23:20). By using these two references to identify John the Baptist, he identifies the prophetic authority of the man whose austere life and exacting message may have appeared too demanding to be accepted by some. John got the attention of the crowds, but he quickly deflected it from himself, pointing instead to Jesus, the long-awaited one. John’s appearance, his message, and his baptism all announced that the reign of God was about to appear.

Jan 29 2025

Scripture Study for

The first reading consists of a communal lament and a prayer that recounts events in the history of Israel. The people are in a desperate situation, unable to help themselves, in need of someone who can rescue them from their plight. They feel abandoned even by their ancestors, and so they cry out to God. Attention then shifts from their distress to the mighty works of God. Those who seemed to be the least deserving of divine kindness hope that God, who worked wonders in the past, will work wonders now on their behalf.

Paul is grateful for blessings granted in the past to the Corinthians. He reminds them that these blessings came from God through Christ. This may indicate that the Corinthians have developed a certain smugness about their abilities. Paul then moves to the point of the passage, namely, the community’s waiting for the revelation of the Lord. The Christians are living in the “time between.” Christ has already been born, died, and raised from the dead. They now live in anticipation of his return. At issue are the manner of their lifestyle and the character of their commitment during this “time between.”

A thrice-repeated command—“Watch!”—surrounds a parable that emphasizes the need to be ready at all times, because Christians do not know when the Lord will return. The Greek word for “time” (kairos) refers to a special time, a decisive moment, more than mere chronological or sequential time (chronos). The short parable brings this point home. Like the servants in the parable, the Christians are instructed to be prepared at all times. The coming of the householder will be sudden and unscheduled, a kairos moment. Life between the times will go on as usual. There are responsibilities that must be carried out. However, life must still be lived with the realization that this is a time of vigilance. “Watch!”