Prepare the way of the Lord

Second Sunday of Advent

It-2 Ħadd tal-Avvent  Sena 'B'

Messalin B pp80

Reading 1

ISaiah 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.

L-Ewwel Qari

Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 40, 1-5, 9-11

Farrġu, farrġu l-poplu tiegħi, igħid Alla tagħkom. Kellmu lil qalb  Ġerusalemm u għidulha li ntemm il-jasar tagħha, tħallset ħżunitħa, ħadet minn għand il-Mulej darbtejn għal dnubietha kollha. Leħen igħajjat;  “Ħejju triq għall-Mulej fid-deżert, wittu għal Alla tagħna mogħdija fix-xagħri. Jintradam kull wied, u jitniżżlu l-muntanji u l-għoljiet: kull art imħattba titwitta, kull art imħarbta ssir maqgħad. U tfeġg il-glorja tal-Mulej, u l-bnedmin jarawha lkoll f'daqqa, għax fomm il-Mulej tkellem." Itla fuq il-muntanja għolja Int li ġġib il-bxara tajba lil Sijon; għolli leħnek bil-qawwa kollha, int li tagħti l-aħbar it-tajba lill Ġerusalemm; għajjat, la tibżax. Għid lill-ibliet ta’ Ġuda: “Hawn hu Alla tagħkom!” Hawn hu Sidi l-Mulej, li ġej bil-qawwa, u jaħkem il-qawwa ta’ driegħu. Hawn hu bi ħlasu miegħu, u r-rebħa tiegħu quddiemu. Bħal ragħaj li jirgħa l-merħla tiegħu, bi driegħu jiġmagħha, u l-ħrief fi ħdanu jerfagħhom; u n-ngħaġ ireddgħu bil-mod imexxihom. il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                 

PSalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14

R/ (8)   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/

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/

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/

  
Salm Responsorjali          

Salm 84

R/  Uri lilna, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek, u s-salvazzjoni tiegħek agħtina.

Ħa nisma’ x’igħid Alla;

il-Mulej is-sliem ixandar,

għal-poplu u l-ħbieb tiegħu.                             

Qrib tassew is-salvazzjoni tiegħu

għal dawk li jibżgħu minnu,

biex tgħammar is-sebħ f’artna.                       R/

It-tjieba u l-fedelta jiltaqgħu.

Il-ġustizzja u s-sliem jitbewsu.

Il-fedelta' mill-art tinbet,

u l-ġustizzja mis-sema tixref..                         R/

Il-Mulej ukoll jagħti l-ġid tiegħu,

u artna tagħti l-frott tagħha.

Il-ġustizzja quddiemu timxi,

u s-sliem fuq il-passi tiegħu.                           R/

Reading 2                                                                

2 PeTer 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.

It-Tieni Qari

Qari mit-Tieni Ittra ta’ San Pietru 3, 8-14

Ħuti egħżież, dan għandkom tkunu tafu, li quddiem il-Mulej jum wieħed hu bħal elf sena,  u elf sena bħal jum wieħed. Mhux għax jiddawwar il-Mulej li jtemm il-wegħdiet tiegħu, kif jaħsbu xi wħud; imma qiegħed jistabar bikom għax ma jridx li xi ħadd jintilef, imma,  li kulħadd jersaq għall-indiema. Jasal, tabilħaqq, Jum il-Mulej, bħal ħalliel; jintemmu mbagħad is-smewwiet bi ħsejjes kbar, jinħallu bin-nar l-elementi tad-dinja, u l-art b’kull ma fiha tkun maħruqa min-nar... Ladarba hekk  kollox għandu jintemm, araw daqsxejn kif  għandkom iġġibu ruħkom, kemm għandha tkun qaddisa u tajba ħajjitkom, waqt li tistennew b'ħerqa kbira l-miġja tal-Jum ta' Alla. Hu minħabba f’dan il-Jum li s-smewwiet jinħarqu u jinħallu. u  l-elementi tad-dinja jinqerdu bin-nar. imma aħna, skont  il-wegħda tiegħu, nistennew  smewwiet ġodda u art ġdida, li fihom  tgħammar il-ġustizzja. Għalhekk, ħuti egħżież, waqt li nistennew dan kollu, qisu li jsibkom fis-sliem, bla tebgħa u bla dnub. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

                       

Gospel                                                                      

MarK 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.”

L-Evanġelju

Qari skond San Mark 1,  1-8

Bidu tal-Evanġelju ta’ Ġesu Kristu, l-Iben ta’Alla. Bħalma hu miktub fil-ktieb ta’ Isaija l-profeta:  ‘Ara, jien nibgħat qablek il-ħabbar tiegħi biex iħejji triqtek. Leħen ta’ wieħed igħajjat fid-deżert: Ħejju t-triq tal-Mulej, iddrittaw il-mogħodijiet tiegħu." Hekk Ġwanni deher jgħammed fid-deżert u jxandar magħmudija ta’ ndiema għall-maħfa tad-dnubiet.  U kienet tmur għandu l-Lhudija kollha u n-nies kollha ta’ Ġersalemm, jitgħammdu minnu fix-xmara Ġordan waqt li jistqarru dnubiethom. Ġwanni kien jilbes libsa tax-xagħar  tal-ġemel, bi ħżiem tal-ġild madwar qaddu, u kien jiekol ġradijiet u għasel selvaġġ. U kien ixandar u jgħid:  “Ġej warajja min hu aqwa minni, li jien ma nistħoqqlix nitbaxxa quddiemu u nħoll il-qfieli tl-qorq tiegħu. Jiena ghammidtkom bl-ilma, iżda huwa jgħammidkom bl-Ispirtu s-Santu.” Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Commentary by Fr Thomas Rosica

John the Baptizer, the Advent Prophet

One of the great stars of the Advent and Christmas stories, John the Baptizer, makes his appearance on the biblical stage today. Let us consider some of the details of John's life and see how he is such a good model for us.

John the Baptist didn’t mince words. He got right to the point and said what needed to be said. He would speak with equally straightforward words to us -- words that would zero in on the weak points of our lives. John the Baptist was a credible preacher of repentance because he had first come to love God's word that he heard in the midst of his own desert.

He heard, experienced and lived God's liberating word in the desert and was thus able to preach it to others so effectively because his life and message were one. One of the most discouraging things we must deal with in our lives is duplicity. How often our words, thoughts and actions are not coherent or one. The true prophets of Israel help us in our struggle against all forms of duplicity.

The desert wilderness

Throughout biblical history, leaders and visionaries have gone to the desert to see more clearly, to listen intently for God's voice, to discover new ways to live. The Hebrew word for wilderness midvar is derived from a Semitic root that means, "to lead flocks or herds to pasture." Eremos, the Greek word used to translate midvar, denotes a desolate and thinly populated area and, in a stricter sense, a wasteland or desert.

The term "wilderness" has two different but related meanings, referring to something judged to be wild and bewildering. It is probably the unknown (bewildering) and uncontrolled (wild) character of the place that earned it the name "wilderness." There is also another way of understanding the meaning of desert or wilderness.

A careful look at the root of the word midvar reveals the word davar meaning "word" or "message." The Hebraic notion of "desert" or "wilderness" is that holy place where God's word is unbound and completely free to be heard, experienced and lived. We go to the desert to hear God's Word, unbound and completely free.

The Spirit of God enabled the prophets to feel with God. They were able to share God's attitudes, God's values, God's feelings, God's emotions. This enabled them to see the events of their time as God saw them and to feel the same way about these events as God felt. They 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. Nor did they share these things in the abstract; they shared God's feelings about the concrete events of their time.

John the Baptist is the Advent prophet. His image is often portrayed in the finger pointing to the one who was coming: Jesus Christ. If we are to take on John’s role of preparing the way in today’s world, our lives also will become the pointing fingers of living witnesses who demonstrate that Jesus can be found and that he is near. John gave the people of his time an experience of forgiveness and salvation, knowing full well that he himself was not the Messiah, the one who could save. Do we allow others to have experiences of God, of forgiveness and of salvation?

John the Baptist came to teach us that there is a way out of the darkness and sadness of the world and of the human condition, and that way is Jesus himself. The Messiah comes to save us from the powers of darkness and death, and to put us back on the path of peace and reconciliation so that we might find our way back to God.

The late Jesuit theologian, Father Karl Rahner, once wrote: “We have to listen to the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, even when it confesses: I am not he. You cannot choose not to listen to this voice, 'because it is only the voice of a man.' And, likewise, you cannot lay aside the message of the Church, because the Church is 'not worthy to untie the shoelaces of its Lord who goes on before it.' It is, indeed, still Advent.”

We may not have the luxury of travelling to the wilderness of Judah, nor the privilege of a week’s retreat in the Sinai desert this Advent. However, we can certainly carve out a little desert wilderness in the midst of our activity and noise this week. Let us go to that sacred place and allow the Word of God to speak to us, to heal us, to reorient us, and to lead us to the heart of Christ, whose coming we await this Advent.

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