Taking Christ seriously!

'It-Tieni Ħadd ta' l-Avvent - il-PACI

Messalin A pp 68 

  

Reading 1       

Isaiah 11:1-10

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of nderstanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

 L-Ewwel Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 11, 1-10

Ġhad-toħrog fergħa miz-zokk ta' Ġesse, għad tinbet rimja minn għeruqu: fuqu jistrieħ l-ispirtu tal-Mulej, l-ispirtu ta' l-għerf u d-dehen, l-ispirtu ta' l-għaqal u l-qawwa, l-ispirtu ta' l-għerf u l-biża' tal-Mulej, u l-għaxqa tiegħu fil-biża tal-Mulej. Ma jiġġudikax skond ma jidher fl-għajnejn, u ma jagħtix sentenza skond ma jisma', iżda jiġġudika l-imsejknin skond il-ġustizzja, u jagħti sentenza skond is-sewwa lill-fqajrin ta' l-art. Isawwat il-kiefra bix-xettru ta' fommu, u b'nifs xufftejh joqtol lill-ħażin. Il-ħżiem ta' ġenbejh tkun il-ġustizzja, u l-fedelta' l-ħżiem ta' qaddu. Il-lupu jibda jgħix mal-ħaruf, il-leopard mil-gidi, u jirgħu flimkien l-għoġol u ferħ l-iljun, daqsxejn ta' tfajjel isuqhom. Il-baqra u l-ors jirgħu flimkien, u l-frieħ tagħhom flimkien jitrieħu. l-iljun bħall-gendus jiekol it-tifen. It-tarbija tal-ħalib titliegħeb fil-ħofra tas-serp; u t-tifel miftum idaħħal idu fil-bejta tal-lifgħa. Ma jagħmlus aktar deni u anqas ħsara fuq il-muntanja qaddisa kollha tiegħi, għax mimlija hi l-art bl-għarfien tal-Mulej bħalma l-baħar hu miksi bl-ilmijiet. Imbagħad jiġri f'dak il-jum li l-għerq ta' Ġesse jieqaf bħala sinjal għall-popli. Lilu jfittxu l-ġnus, u l-għamara tiegħu tkum isebbħa. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm 

PSALM 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17.

O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
he shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

 Salm Responsorjali

SALM  71(72)

            R/         Tħaddar f'jiemu l-ġustizzja.

O Alla, agħti lis-sultan il-ħaqq tiegħek,

il-ġustizzja tiegħek lil bin isek bil-ġustizzja,

u bil-ħaqq l-imsejknin tiegħek.                            R/

Tħaddar f'jiemu l-ġustizzja,

u sliem kotran sa ma jintemm il-qamar,

Isaltan minn baħar sa baħar,

u mix-xmara sa truf l-art.                                              R/

Għax hu jeħles lill-fqir li jsejjaħlu,

u lill-imsejknin li m'għandux min jgħinu.

Iħenn għad-dgħajjef u għall-fqajjar;

il-ħajja tal-fqajrin isalva.                                      R/

Ismu jibqa' jissemma għal dejjem;

idum ismu sakemm iddum ix-xemx!

Bih jitbierku l-ġnus kollha ta' l-art;

il-popli kollha jsejħulu ħieni.                                           R/

R eading 2                 

Romans 15:4-9

Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures  we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement  grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice  glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs,  but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles
and sing praises to your name.

 It-Tieni Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostlu lir-Rumani 15,4-9

Ħuti,  kull ma nkiteb fl-Iskrittura fl-imgħoddi , inkiteb għat-tagħlim tagħna, biex bis-sabar u  bil-faraġ li tagħtina l-Iskrittura, aħna jkollna t-tama. Alla, li minnu ġej kull sabar u faraġ, jgħtikom il-grazzja  li tkunu fehma waħda bejnietkom skond Kristu Ġesu', biex b'fomm wieħed u b'qalb waħda tfaħħru lil Alla u Missier Sidna Ġesu' Kristu. Għalhekk ilqgħu lil xulxin bħalma Kristu wkoll laqa' lilkom, għall-glorja ta' Alla.    Jiena ngħidilkom li Kristu sar  qaddej tal- Lhud ċirkonċiżi minħabba l-fedelta' ta' Alla,  biex iseħħu l-wegħdiet li għamel lill-Patrijarki, u biex  il-pagani wkoll ifaħħru lil Alla minħabba l-ħniena tiegħu  bħalma hu miktub:  "Għalhekk jiena nfaħħrek fost il-ġnus u ngħanni tifħir ismek." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                       

Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,  but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize 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 with unquenchable fire.”

L-Evanġelju

Qari skond San Mattew 3, 1-12

F'dawk il-jiem, deher Ġwanni l-Battista jipprieda fid-deżert tal-Lhudija u jgħid: "Indmu, għax is-saltna tas-smewwiet waslet." Għax għalih kien ingħad permezz tal-profeta Isaija, meta qal:  "Leħen ta wieħed jgħajjat fid-deżert:  Ħejju t-triq tal-Mulej, iddrittaw il-mogħdijiet tiegħu." Dan Ġwanni kellu fuqu libsa tax-xagħar tal-ġemel, bi ħżiem tal-ġild madwar qaddu, u l-ikel tiegħu kien gradijiet u għasel selvaġġ. U kienet tmur għandu Ġerusalemm u l-Lhudija kollha u l-inħawi kollha ta' madwar il-Ġordan, u kienu jigħammdu minnu fix-xmara Ġordan huma u jistqarru dnubiethom. Kif ra bosta mill-Fariżej u mis-Sadduċej ġejjin għall-magħmudija tiegħu, qalilhom:  "Ja nisel il-lifgħat, min uriekom kif għandkom taħarbu mill-korla li ġejja? Agħmlu mela frott xieraq ta' l-Indiema, u taħsbux li tistgħu  tgħidu fikom infuskom: "Għandna b'missier lil Abraham."  Ngħidilkom li Alla,  minn dan l-istess ġebel,  jista' jqajjem ulied lil Abraham." Il-mannara ġa tressqet ma' għerq is-siġra';  u għalhekk, kull siġra li ma tagħmilx frott tajjeb titqaċċat u tinxteħet fin-nar. Jien, ngħid għalija, ngħammidkom bl-ilma għall-indiema; imma min ġej warajja hu aqwa minni, u jien ma jistħoqqlix inġorr il-qorq tiegħu. Hu jgħammidkom bl-Ispirtu s-Santu u n-nar. Il-midra qiegħda f'idu, biex iderri l-qiegxħa tiegħu u jiġbor il-qamħ fil-maħżen, imma t-tiben jaħarqu b'nar li ma jintefiex." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Commentary

Experiencing Forgiveness and Salvation

Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

In Sunday’s Scripture readings, two of the three outstanding Advent guides (Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary) show us the proper attitude to assume as we prepare to welcome the Saviour of the world.  First of all, Isaiah, the prophet of consolation and singer of hope.  The idyllic reading from the prophet Isaiah [11:1-10] speaks of a shoot that will sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom [1].  This is a reference to the fact that after the Babylonian Exile only a stump of the Davidic dynasty would remain; from it would arise the new shoot, the messianic King.  In verses 2-3 we have the source of the traditional names of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

An image of the idyllic harmony of paradise in vv 6-9 is a dramatic symbol of the universal peace and justice of messianic times.  Throughout this season of Advent, Isaiah proclaims a true and proper Gospel for the people of Israel, enslaved in Babylon, and urges them to remain vigilant in prayer, to recognize “the signs” of the coming of the Messiah.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand

Then there is John the Baptist [Matthew 3:1-12], the precursor of the Messiah, who is presented as a “voice crying in the wilderness”, preaching “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”  Unlike Luke, Matthew says nothing of the Baptist’s origins and does not make him a relative of Jesus.

Matthew takes up the order of Jesus’ ministry found in the gospel of Mark, beginning with the preparatory preaching of John the Baptist.  The Baptist calls for a change of heart and conduct, a turning of one’s life from rebellion to obedience towards God. It is the only condition for recognizing the Messiah already present in the world.  The kingdom of heaven is at hand: “heaven” (literally, “the heavens”) is a substitute for the name “God” that was avoided by devout Jews of the time out of reverence. The expression “the kingdom of heaven” occurs only in the gospel of Matthew. It means the effective rule of God over his people. In its fullness it includes not only human obedience to God’s word, but the triumph of God over physical evils, ultimately over death.  In the expectation found in Jewish apocalyptic, the kingdom was to be ushered in by a judgment in which sinners would be condemned and perish, an expectation shared by the Baptist. This was later modified in Christian understanding where the kingdom was seen as being established in stages, culminating with the parousia (second coming) of Jesus.

John’s wardrobe

Matthew presents John the Baptist as the first Christian preacher.  Wearing the clothes of a latter-day Elijah [II Kings 1:8], John solemnly proclaims that God is undertaking a new involvement with humankind.  The expectation of the return of Elijah from heaven to prepare Israel for the final manifestation of God’s kingdom was widespread, and according to Matthew this expectation was fulfilled in the Baptist’s ministry [Matthew 11:14; 17:11-13].

Ritual washing [6] was practiced by various groups in Palestine between 150 B.C. and A.D. 250. John’s baptism may have been related to the purificatory washings of the Essenes at Qumran along the shores of the Dead Sea.  John’s is a baptism of repentance requiring the convert to adopt a new way of thinking and acting.

At times prophets shared God’s anger, God’s compassion, God’s sorrow, God’s disappointment, God’s revulsion, God’s sensitivity for people, and God’s seriousness.  They did not share these things in the abstract; rather, they shared God’s feelings about the concrete events of their time.  This is the type of prophet that John the Baptist was.  He didn’t mince words.  He got right to the point and said what needed to be said.  How often our words, thoughts and actions are incoherent and ambiguous!  How often do the skirt the issues and great questions of our time and of our Church!  The true prophets of Israel model for how to counter all forms of duplicity in our own lives.

John the Baptist continues to speak down the centuries to every generation.  The “voice” of the great prophet asks us to prepare the way of the Lord, who comes in the external and internal wildernesses of today, thirsting for the living water that is Christ. May the memory of John guide us to true conversion of heart, so that we may make the necessary choices to harmonize our mentalities and lives with the Gospel.

“Verbum Domini” along the Advent journey

May I suggest to you a wonderful way to prepare a way for the Lord in your own lives this Advent?  Read Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini [The Word of the Lord Abides Forever].  This important document is the culmination of the Synod of Bishops on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church that took place in October 2008.  I especially suggest section #11 on the “Christology of the word”:

Christology of the word

11.   From this glimpse at all reality as the handiwork of the Blessed Trinity through the divine Word, we can understand the statement made by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews: “in many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (1:1-2). It is very beautiful to see how the entire Old Testament already appears to us as a history in which God communicates his word: indeed, “by his covenant with Abraham (cf. Gen 15:18) and, through Moses, with the race of Israel (cf. Ex 24:8), he gained a people for himself, and to them he revealed himself in words and deeds as the one, living and true God. It was his plan that Israel might learn by experience God’s ways with humanity and, by listening to the voice of God speaking to them through the prophets, might gradually understand his ways more fully and more clearly, and make them more widely known among the nations (cf. Ps 21:28-29; 95:1-3; Is 2:1-4; Jer 3:17)”.

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