Catechism Link
CCC 522, 711-716, 722: The prophets and the expectation of the Messiah
CCC 523, 717-720: The mission of John the Baptist
CCC 710: Israel’s exile foreshadowed the Passion
CCC 2532, 2636: Paul’s solicitude
CCC Cross Reference:
Phil 1:3-4 2636; Phil 1:9-11 2632
Lk 3:3 535
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Reading 1:
Bar 5:1-9
Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery;
put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
bear on your head the mitre
that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
you will be named by God forever
the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.
Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;
look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:
but God will bring them back to you
borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
be filled to level ground,
that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
have overshadowed Israel at God’s command;
for God is leading Israel in joy
by the light of his glory,
with his mercy and justice for company.
Responsorial Psalm:
Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Reading II:
Phil 1:4-6, 8-11
Brothers and sisters:
I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
Gospel:
Lk 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was 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.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Baruch 5:1-9
Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress,
put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever,
wrap the cloak of the integrity of God around you,
put the diadem of the glory of the Eternal on your head:
since God means to show your splendor to every nation under heaven,
since the name God gives you for ever will be,
‘Peace through integrity, and honor through devotedness.’
Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights
and turn your eyes to the east:
see your sons reassembled from west and east
at the command of the Holy One, jubilant that God has remembered them.
Though they left you on foot,
with enemies for an escort,
now God brings them back to you
like royal princes carried back in glory.
For God has decreed the flattening
of each high mountain, of the everlasting hills,
the filling of the valleys to make the ground level
so that Israel can walk in safety under the glory of God.
And the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade
for Israel at the command of God;
for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory
with his mercy and integrity for escort.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 125(126):1-6
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
Second reading Philippians 1:4-6,8-11
Every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present. I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes; and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you. My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognize what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God.
Gospel Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrach of Abilene, during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled in,
every mountain and hill be laid low,
winding ways will be straightened
and rough roads made smooth.
And all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
2nd Sunday of Advent
From: Baruch 5:1-9
A summing up, by way of conclusion
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[1] Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem,
and put on for ever the beauty of the glory from God.
[2] Put on the robe of the righteousness from God;
put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting.
[3] For God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven.
[4] For your name will for ever be called by God,
"Peace of righteousness and glory of godliness."
[5] Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height
and look toward the east,
and see your children gathered from west and east,
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that God has remembered them.
[6] For they went forth from you on foot,
led away by their enemies;
but God will bring them back to you,
carried in glory, as on a royal throne.
[7] For God has ordered that every high mountain
and the everlasting hills be made low
and the valleys filled up, to make level ground,
so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God.
[8] The woods and every fragrant tree
have shaded Israel at God's command.
[9] For God will lead Israel with joy,
in the light of his glory,
with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.
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Commentary:
5:1-9. By way of recapitulation, the book ends with a new song of consolation, the fourth in the book. It promises everlasting happiness, and the tone is eschatological. The new Jerusalem will be given a symbolic name that indicates not only that she belongs to God but also her main features: she will be "peace of righteousness" and "glory of godliness", that is, just peace and glorious devotion. Olympiodorus offers a spiritual interpretation: "Christ is our peace and our justice and our glory, and the example of the piety with which we should live: we, too, will receive those names from him" ("Fragmenta in Baruch", 5, 4).
This passage has many parallels in the prophetical and Wisdom books -- Is 40:4-5; 49:18-22; 60:1-4; Jer 30:15-22; Ps 126; etc. But particularly intriguing is the connection between vv. 1-9 and the vision of the messianic Jerusalem in the Revelation to John 21:1-4, which St Irenaeus noticed in his "Adversus haereses", where he concludes: "No allegorical interpretation of this can be given: everything is true and clear and defined, and God desires that it be so for the glory of righteous men. God raises man from the dead and, when the Kingdom comes, man will be brought to life with incorruptibility and made strong, and he will welcome in the glory of the Father. When everything has been renewed, he will truly live in the city of God" (5, 35, 2).
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From: Philippians 1:3-6, 8-11
Thanksgiving and Prayer
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[3] I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. [6] And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
[8] For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. [9] And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, [10] so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruits of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
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Commentary:
3-5. "Your partnership": in the original this reads "your communion". In the New Testament this term has a wide meaning, mainly denoting closeness of thought, action and lifestyle. It is sometimes used in connection with collections made in favor of the needy (cf. Rom 15:26; 2 Cor 9:13).
Despite the fact that the faithful at Philippi were in general people of modest means and were themselves experiencing hardship (cf. 2 Cor 8:2), they never spared any effort when others were in need, and always did what they could to help the spread of the Church, by both almsgiving (cf. 2 Cor 8:3-4) and personalcommitment (cf. 2 Cor 8:5), prayer and help to the ministers of the Gospel, as the Apostle knew from personal experience (cf. Phil 4:14-16).
St Paul recognizes their difficulties are due to their generous response to the demands of the faith -- a gift from God (cf. v. 29); that is why he continually prays that they may always have the grace they need.
4. "With joy": the Apostle's joy is one of the outstanding features of this epistle; the good spirit of the Philippians makes him particularly happy: the very thought of them brings him joy. Further on, in 3:1, he tells them to rejoice in the Lord; and in 4:4 he twice repeats this exhortation to a joy that comes from closeness to the Lord (cf. notes on Phil 4:4; 4:5-7).
The same exhortation to true joy is very often to be found in early Christian writings: "Clothe yourself with cheerfulness, which always finds favor with God and is acceptable to him. Take all your delight in this, for every cheerful man does good, has good thoughts, and despises melancholy" ("The Pastor of Hermas", X, 3, 1).
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) and a virtue intimately connected with supernatural charity, from which it derives (cf. "Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 23, a. 4). It is a gift a soul in grace experiences, irrespective of its personal situation or circumstances. It comes from union with God and recognition of his loving Providence towards all creation and especially towards his children. Joy gives the Christian peace and objectivity in everything he does.
6. The Old Testament teaches that God is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Ex 34:6; Ps 119:137). His faithfulness means that he always is true to his word, always keeps the promises he makes to his people (cf. Deut 34:4); therefore man can abandon himself into God's hand without fear, for there he will find a safe refuge (cf. Ps 31:5-6). God, who initiated the work of salvation by giving Christians the gift of faith and filling them with sanctifying grace, will continue to enrich them with his grace until they at last encounter Christ in heaven (cf. 1 Cor 1:4-9).
On the basis of this verse of Scripture, the Church's Magisterium, in reaction to the Pelagian heresy, taught that the beginnings of faith, as also increase of faith and the act of faith whereby we believe, are all the result of grace and man's free response to that gift (cf. Second Council of Orange, can. 5). Centuries later, the Council of Trent repeated this teaching: just as God began this good work, he will bring it to completion, if we for our part cooperate (cf. "De Iustificatione", chap. 13).
By reflecting on this truth, St. Francis de Sales tells us, we shall come to realize how much we ought to trust in God: "Our Lord is ever watchful of the actions of his children; he gets them to walk ahead of him and gives them a helping hand if they meet up with difficulty. He said as much through Isaiah: 'For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, Fear not, I will help you" (Is 41:13). So, in addition to having good morale, we should put all our trust in God and in his help, for, provided we don't lose the state of grace, he will complete in us the good work of our salvation which he has already begun" ("Treatise on the Love of God", 3. 4).
To this trust in divine help must be added a personal effort to respond to grace, for, in the words of St. Augustine, "God who created you without your cooperation will not save you without your cooperation" ("Sermon 169", 13).
"The day of Christ Jesus": see the note on 1 Cor 1:8-9.
8. "With all the affection of Christ Jesus": St Paul is so identified with our Lord that he can say that he has the same sentiments towards them as Christ has. This supernatural love is quite compatible with human affection, but it raises it on to a higher level. This entire epistle is an excellent proof of how the two kinds of love -- human and divine -- interweave. Charity "joins closely to God those in whom it reigns", Leo XIII teaches, "and causes them to receive from God the life of the soul and to live with him and for him. Love of neighbor has to go hand in hand with charity and love of God, for (we must recognize that) all mankind share in God's infinite goodness and are made in his image and likeness" ("Sapientiae Christianae", 51-52).
Helping others is the surest sign of true love, for, writes St Teresa of Avila, "we cannot be sure if we are loving God, although we may have good reasons for believing that we are, but we can know quite well if we are loving our neighbor. And be certain that, the farther advanced you find you are in this, the greater the love you will have for God; for so dearly does His Majesty love us that He will reward our love for our neighbor by increasing the love which we bear to himself, and that in a thousand ways" ("Interior Castle", 5, 3, 8).
This love is the basis of apostolic effectiveness: "A sign of love will be the concern to give the truth and to bring people into unity. Another sign of love will be a devotion to the proclamation of Jesus Christ, without reservation or turning back" (Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi", 79).
9-11. "Discernment": a deeply Christian view of things, which enables one to see the events of everyday life in a supernatural light and therefore understand them properly -- very much the same idea as conveyed by the "wisdom" so often referred to in the Old Testament.
Up to this point St Paul's prayers and exhortations have had to do with steady growth in charity. Since charity is a supernatural virtue, "one needs to ask God to increase it, since God alone can bring that about in us" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Phil, ad loc."). Growth in charity means our attaining greater "knowledge" of God. "The lover", St Thomas says, "is not satisfied with superficial knowledge of the beloved, but strives to gain an intimate knowledge of everything pertaining to him, so as to penetrate his very soul" ("Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 28, a. 2). Eagerness to know God brings one closer and closer to Jesus Christ, in an effort to absorb his teachings and put into practice the saving truths they contain -- to act "with discernment", knowing what is the best thing to do in every situation.
A personal relationship with God through prayer, identification with Christ by frequent reception of the sacraments, and the action of the Holy Spirit indwelling in the soul in grace, give the Christian a special insight that enables him to distinguish good from evil in the concrete situations that arise. The gift of wisdom "allows us to know God and rejoice in his presence; it enables us to judge accurately the situations and events of this life [...].
"Not that the Christian should neglect to see all that is good in humanity, appreciate its healthy joys or participate in its enthusiasm and ideals. On the contrary, a true Christian will vibrate in unison with all the good he finds in the world. And he will live in the midst of it with a special concern, since he knows, better than anyone, the depth and the richness of the human spirit.
"A Christian's faith does not diminish his spirit or limit the noble impulses of his soul: rather it makes them grow with the realization of their true and authentic meaning" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133).
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From: Luke 3:1-6
The Preaching of John the Baptist
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[1] In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, [2] in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; [3] and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [4] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. [5] Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; [6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
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Commentary:
1. The Gospel identifies very precisely the time and place of the public appearance of John the Baptist, the Precursor of Christ, "Tiberius Caesar" was the second emperor of Rome, and the fifteenth year of his reign corresponds to A.D. 27 or 29, depending on which of the two possible calculations is correct.
"Pontius Pilate" was governor or "praefectus" of Judea from A.D. 26 to 36. His jurisdiction also extended to Samaria and Idumea.
The "Herod" referred to here is Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, who succeeded to part of his father's territory with the title of tetrarch, not king. "Tetrarch" indicated that he exercised his power in subordination to Roman authority. It was Herod Antipas, who died in A.D. 39, who had St John the Baptist beheaded. On the identity of the four Herods in the New Testament, see the note on Mt 2:1.
"Philip", another son of Herod the Great and stepbrother of Herod Antipas, was tetrarch in the territory mentioned here up to the year 34 B.C. He married Herodias, who is spoken about in Mk 6:17-19.
2. The high priest at the time was "Caiaphas", who held the position from A.D. 18 to 36. Annas, his father-in-law, was still so influential that he was considered as the "de facto" head of Jewish religious and political life. That is why, when Christ was arrested, he was first interrogated before Annas (Jn 18:12-24). St Luke therefore is perfectly justified in calling him the high priest.
2-3. Here St Luke formally introduces St John the Baptist, who appears in his gospel a number of times. When Christ praises the Baptist (cf. Mt 11: 7-9) he refers particularly to his strength of will and his commitment to his God-given mission. Humility, austerity, courage and a spirit of prayer figure strongly in John's personality. So faithful was he to his mission of preparing the way for the Messiah that Christ praises him in a unique way: he is the greatest of those born of woman (cf. Mt 11:11), "a burning and shining lamp" (Jn 5:35). He burned with love, and shone by the witness he bore. Christ "was the light" (Jn 1:9); the Baptist "came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him" (Jn 1:7).
John the Baptist appears on the scene preaching the need for repentance. He prepares "the way of the Lord". He is the herald of salvation: but his mission does not go beyond that; he simply announces that salvation is coming. "Among you stands one...who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worth to untie" (Jn 1:27). He points Christ out: "Behold, the Lamb of God" (Jn 1:29, 36), behold "the Son of God" (Jn 1:34); and he rejoices to see his own disciples leave him to follow Christ (Jn 1:37): "He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:30).
4-6. In the second part of the Book of Isaiah (chaps. 40-55), which is called the "Book of the Consolation of Israel", the Jewish people are told that they will once again suffer exile and a new exodus in which their guide will be, not Moses, but God himself; once again they will make their way through the desert to reach a new promised land. St Luke sees the preaching of the Baptist, who announces the arrival of the Messiah, as fulfilling this prophecy.
Because the Lord is imminent, people must prepare themselves spiritually, by doing penance for their sins, to receive the special divine grace the Messiah is bringing. This is what he means by levelling the mountains and making the Lord's path straight.
Every year in its Advent liturgy the Church proclaims the coming of Jesus Christ, our Savior, exhorting every Christian to purify his or her soul by a new interior conversion.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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