Posted: 12/6/2014 5:08:19 AM EDT
Second Sunday of Advent 7 DEC 2014 Lectionary: 5 
Reading 1 IS 40:1-5, 9-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care. 
Responsorial Psalm PS 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 R/Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD—for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. R/ Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. R/ Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and prepare the way of his steps. R/ Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. 
(St. Peter Preaching in the Catacombs, from "The Politics of Patience") Reading 2 2 PT 3:8-14 Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out. Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace. Alleluia LK 3:4, 6 
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: all flesh shall see the salvation of God. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MK 1:1-8 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Gospel Reading: Mark 1:1-8 `This Sunday’s reading is from the opening of St. Mark’s Gospel. The shortest of the four Gospels, Mark is marked by a sense of immediacy, which goes well with the themes of vigilance and preparation, which characterize the season of Advent. Mark does not relate any genealogies or infancy narratives, but as his gospel opens we are immediately shown the events leading up to the beginning of Jesus’ preaching ministry (Mark 1:14). ~We are also introduced to John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin and precursor, who is preaching “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” that is, people were seeking forgiveness of their sins by their repentance. John’s baptism did not have the sacramental power to wash away sins like Christian baptism does as it lacked the power of the Holy Spirit conferred by Jesus after his Resurrection (verse 8; John 3:5, 20:22-23). ~John the Baptist was identified as a kind of Elijah the prophet from the Old Testament (2 Kings 1:8), returned to usher in the Messianic age (verses 2-3; Malachi 3:23-24; Mark 9:11-13; Matthew 17:10-12; Luke 1:17). He will also figure prominently in next week’s Gospel reading and several of the daily Mass readings throughout Advent. QUESTIONS: +In the 1st Reading, what is coming to an end for God’s people? How are they to prepare for what’s coming? What will it look like when it finally arrives? +In the 2nd Reading, what attitude does St. Peter advise us to have while awaiting the return of Jesus? With what does he say we should occupy ourselves during this time? +What does Mark (and the Church) mean by “the gospel [good news] of Jesus Christ” (verse 1)? How would you explain the basic message to someone who asked? +What do the contexts of the quotes in verses 2-3 (Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3; Exodus 23:20) teach about the “coming one”? +Why is John the Baptist’s message so popular with the crowds (verses 4-5)? What does the Church teach about John (CCC 717—720)? +Given John’s message (verses 7-8) what type of person are the crowds anticipating (see Isaiah 32:15-20)? +What from your life illustrates what it means to “repent”? What can you do (or not do) to prepare for the Lord’s coming and to make this a more fruitful Advent? +John the Baptist prepared “the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 40:3). Who prepared the way of the Lord in your life? (courtesy of Scripture Study for Catholics) Bible Study--2nd Sunday of Advent--Cycle B (courtesy of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Picayune, MS, Faith Studies) "Neither repentance avails without grace, nor grace without repentance; for repentance must first condemn sin, that grace may blot it out. So then John, who was a type of the law, came baptizing for repentance, while Christ came to offer grace." –St. Ambrose of Milan (ca. AD 380) 
("Infant Christ Offering Drink of Water to St. John", Bartolome Esteban Murillo, 1675) |
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BNA! You have outdone yourself! You captured the most beautiful imagery for this Sunday! Thank you beyond words. Near and dear to my heart is the Divine Shepherd! This blessed Advent Sunday we are introduced to St. John the Baptist. Talk about an interesting servant of God! St. John was the miracle baby they thought could never happen! He born to an elderly woman whom was thought to be barren. Like a desert. His dad was rendered speechless until his sons birth. (Would we call this a "stroke" today and ignore the incredible orchestration of events around the Birth of Christ and the birth of His cousin St. John?) When it was time to name the child the old man obeyed the Angel and God gave him his speech back so he could proclaim the name of his son John. What would his parents have thought of how he lived? Homeless, eating bugs and honey, and obsessively proclaiming the word of God in such a way that people couldn't ignore him.... I am pretty sure this is why God chose elderly parents.... St. John would have worried me to death. Ahhh God has a sense of humor!!! I am thankful for St. John. God always has a plan. We may not understand it but I hope to have the energy to follow it so fully as St. John did. This week I ask for a small prayer to overcome a shortcoming I struggle with. I am fiery and benevolence evades me sometimes. I masterfully dodged as situation at work with great kindness that didn't diminish anyone. But then I turned right around and didn't offer that same approach to others in my life. A phone telemarketer, my son, the help desk person who has my sons learning aid... this list can go on and on I think... I can be as sharp tongued as laser.  If you all will remember me for a brief time I would be grateful. AF |
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All my pleasure, AF! Our Blessed Lord truly is "The Good Shepherd."
Yessir--St. John the Baptist is a real hero to us all! This week I ask for a small prayer to overcome a shortcoming I struggle with. I am fiery and benevolence evades me sometimes. I masterfully dodged as situation at work with great kindness that didn't diminish anyone. But then I turned right around and didn't offer that same approach to others in my life. A phone telemarketer, my son, the help desk person who has my sons learning aid... this list can go on and on I think... I can be as sharp tongued as laser. If you all will remember me for a brief time I would be grateful. 
AF Sure, AF. You will be remembered, thought of kindly, and forgiven. Already the Blessed Lord is saying "it's all in the past and forgiven. I've forgotten about it like it never existed, now so should you!" Your ZEAL is what is important; just direct it. Remember John 2:17 and Psalm 69:9? Yep. "Zeal for your house will consume me.” You remind me of our hero St. John the Baptist--he was fiery, impulsive, and pulled no punches and told it like it is! He had zeal galore.  We are glad you are who you are!
(St. John The Baptist in the Wilderness, by Caravaggio, 1604) |
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Don't forget Immaculate Conception tomorrow. No Monday dispensation in this case!
Link Unlike certain other Holy Days of Obligation, where the requirement to attend Mass is abrogated when the date of the feast falls on a Saturday or a Monday, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is so important that the obligation is not waived. |
