Tuesday of Week 2 of Advent – First Reading
Commentary on Isaiah 40:1-11
Today we begin a series of readings from what is known as ‘The Book of Consolation’. It consists of chapters 40 to 55 of Isaiah, and its unknown author is referred to as ‘Second Isaiah’. He is writing much later, at the end of the Jews’ exile in Babylon, and speaks with confidence of their returning to Jerusalem. The name ‘Consolation’ comes from the first words of today’s reading:
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
Comfort (“console” in some translations) is the prevailing theme of this section compared to the more threatening prophecies of the first 40 chapters.
The opening part is actually a cantata for several voices. The time of suffering in exile is coming to an end:
…she has served her term…
The return to Jerusalem is seen as a new Exodus. The exile was seen as a punishment for Israel’s sin and infidelity. There is now to be an end of punishment and suffering:
…her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
The Jewish people were punished both by exile and by being treated as slaves and mercenaries of the conquering power. Next is written:
A voice cries…
The identity of the voice obeying the order to “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her” is left unknown, but during this Advent season, it will be applied to John the Baptist who announces the coming of the Saviour:
…prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
It was the custom in Babylonia, where the Jews were exiled, for triumphal “ways” to be made ready for the coming of a god or a victorious king. People would go ahead to prepare this way. John the Baptist will fulfil that role, but it is for each one of us as well to prepare the way for Christ to come into the lives of those who do not yet know or accept him. During Advent we will reflect on just how each one of us can do that most effectively.
As we approach Christmas, we can ask ourselves what are the obstacles in our lives preventing the coming of Jesus into our hearts? In the reading, the “way” is the road by which God’s people will make their new exodus back to their home country. It is a road with all obstacles removed, and an occasion when:
…the glory of the Lord will be revealed.
It will be revealed by the return of God’s people to their own land, but as we read this passage in Advent, ultimately, the glory of the redeeming God will be seen in Jesus Christ and in all those who live by his Spirit. This is what we are preparing for during this time.
The voice commands again: “Cry out” and the prophet asks, “What shall I cry?” The answer comes:
All flesh is grass;
their constancy [beauty] is like the flower of the field.
The greatness and beauty of the Babylonian empire—like all empires—is coming to an end. It is going to be replaced by that of Persia, which itself will in time disappear, as has every empire since. Only:
…the word of our God will stand forever.
This is the God in whom the Israelites have put their trust, and he will not disappoint them. It is a message that Jerusalem is to proclaim to all the people. God’s message is never to be kept to oneself. This is a time to shout from the mountain tops. Shout without fear:
Here is your God!
That is what it is all about. Jesus, our God, is coming. It is for us to remind people as to why we have all those lights and celebrations…all those preparations we are now making for Christmas…all those gifts we are buying or hoping to get…all that food and drink we will put away. What will be left in the days and months that follow? What will we take from Christmas that will still be around in March, in June, in September?
Jesus comes as a God of power, subduing all things before him. But it is a very special kind of power.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms
and carry them in his bosom
and gently lead the mother sheep.
What a beautiful image of our all-powerful God! What tenderness is expressed here! It is one that Jesus will develop and he, too, will call himself the “Good Shepherd” (see Matt 18:12-14; John 10:11-18). And it will not be a coincidence that the first people to pay homage at the stable in Bethlehem will be shepherds.
Christmas is a time when many people come back to church, if only for one day. Is not this the time for them to be reminded that this is the God we believe in—the God that we all need to know?
We all need to hear the words of today’s Gospel, spoken by that gentle Shepherd:
…it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. (Matt 18:14)
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Wednesday of Week 2 of Advent – First Reading
Commentary on Isaiah 40:25-31
We continue our reading from the ‘Book of Consolation’ or ‘Second Isaiah’. Does God seem far away at times? Today’s reading invites us to go outside some clear night and look at the skies. Thousands of stars, each one a mighty sun, can be seen and they are only a tiny fraction of the uncountable number of stars in our universe. Imagine the greatness of the God who is creator and master of all these and who calls each single one by name!
However, far away from home and living in bitter exile, God’s people wonder if their God has forgotten about them. They seem to be comparing their God with the gods of their captors; their God is letting them down.
The people cry out in pain, asking why:
My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God?
Yet God is fully aware of his people’s situation and he will soon show his love and power as they return to their homeland:
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.
Even young people, with all their energy, can run out of steam:
…and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted…
But not those who wait for the Lord:
…for the Lord shall renew their strength [and]
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
The reading is a message for all those who feel that life is working against them. Some can sympathise with the words of the song:
“Into each life some rain must fall but too much is falling in mine…”
It must certainly have been the feeling of the Israelites as they languished far from home in a hostile and cruel land. And yet, their deliverance is very close.
The coming of Jesus for which we are now preparing makes the same promise and offers the same invitation in today’s Gospel:
Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:28)
Jesus reaffirms what Isaiah says, that we have a caring and tireless God who takes care of his own when he says:
I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
(Matt 11:29)
Jesus does not promise painlessness, nor does he promise to take away every yoke, but he will share the burden with us. What Jesus does is to help us go through the pain, because he knows what we go through. He experienced a level of pain in his own life which we are not likely ever to have to face.
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Thursday of Week 2 of Advent – First Reading
Commentary on Isaiah 41:13-20
Again today, we continue reading from ‘The Book of Consolation’. The Jews are coming to the end of their period of exile in Babylon, and today we have a message of encouragement. God is coming to help—to redeem his people. For us during Advent, the message points clearly to Jesus, our Redeemer and Saviour. The theme of today’s reading is that God will protect Israel against its enemies and meet its needs in the desert wilderness. Israel’s enemies will vanish, the empire of Babylon will be no more, but God’s people will continue under his loving protection.
Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you maggot Israel!
Israel seems so insignificant when seen in comparison with its powerful conquerors. But it is a deceptive weakness, as there is a Strength on their side.
The prophet tells the people that God, “the Holy One of Israel” is their “Redeemer”. The word in Hebrew originally refers to the nearest male relative who will avenge the blood of someone who has been murdered. He is also the one who pays off a debt, and frees the debtor from prison; his duty is to protect the defenceless.
Leviticus (25:47-55) also speaks of a situation where a person has to sell himself to a foreigner. He can be ‘redeemed’, that is, bought back by a brother or uncle or cousin or any other relative (note that the word ‘redeemer’ comes from the Latin redemptor, meaning ‘someone who buys back’).
‘Redeemer’ then comes to refer to God as one who protects the oppressed and who liberates his people. The word is used frequently in this sense in Second Isaiah. The word then was applied to Jesus, who is the Redeemer and Liberator of us all.
Far from being weak, God tells his people:
I will make of you a threshing sledge…
Just as the emperor Cyrus reduced his enemies (including the Babylonians) to dust (Isa 41:2), so too Israel will deal with its enemies:
…you shall thresh the mountains [i.e. their powerful enemies] and crush them…
For the Israelites, good times are coming as they leave their place of exile and return to their homeland. This is symbolised in the provision of an abundance of water—the formation of rivers and lakes. It is reminiscent of Moses, who produced water from the rock for Israelites during the Exodus. The desert is thus transformed by all kinds of magnificent trees. Some of these trees are named later in connection with the adornment of God’s sanctuary. Acacia wood was used for the tabernacle. In Isaiah chapter 55, we are told that pine and myrtle replace thorns and briers.
In fact, King Cyrus, who crushed the Babylonians and allowed the Jews to return to their homeland, is seen as an instrument doing God’s work. Through all these manifestations, the writer foresees the coming of the Messianic age:
…so that all may see and know,
all may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Commenting on this text, the Christian Community Bible rightly describes that the Israelites, depressed by their exile experience, are being reminded to stop looking back at the ‘good old days’ of their glorious past and to look forward to a promising future:
“For centuries the Jews had looked upon their past, always expanding the memory of the wonders worked by God in their departure from Egypt. Now, they must look to the future. This time, a new departure is being prepared from Babylon, and it will be accompanied by wonders greater than those of the first Exodus.”
We, too, as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, need to remember that our celebration is not just a nostalgic look at the past, but a renewal of hope and energy in working for the building of the Kingdom in the year ahead.
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Friday of Week 2 of Advent – First Reading
Commentary on Isaiah 48:17-19
In a passage where Second Isaiah speaks of King Cyrus being chosen as God’s instrument to liberate his people from Babylon and enable them to return to their homeland, we have today’s short reading—a new prophecy inserted in the text. It is a reflection on what the destiny of Israel might have been if she had remained faithful to God’s calling. The sufferings of the Exile are seen by the writer as a punishment that Israel largely deserved.
If the Israelites had remained faithful, their:
…prosperity would have been like a river
and…success like the waves of the sea…
These are symbols of free-flowing abundance. If they had remained faithful, they would have enjoyed the promises made long ago by Yahweh. Instead of being a dwindling remnant:
…your offspring would have been like the sand
and your descendants like its grains…
This is reminiscent of prophecies made to Abraham by Yahweh, such as:
I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies… (Gen 22:17)
It is a promise that goes right through the Bible, especially in Deuteronomy and in the sayings of the prophets.
Listening to God is the theme running through both readings today. In the Gospel, we will see Jesus upbraiding the people for listening neither to John the Baptist, who preached a message of austerity, nor to Jesus, who brings a message of compassion and inclusiveness.
In our celebration of Christmas, let us look at ourselves and our response to the call of Jesus which we are hearing all during this Advent period. To ‘hear’ in the Gospel implies total acceptance and assimilation of what we hear, and incorporating that message in our daily lives.
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Saturday of Week 2 of Advent – First Reading
Commentary on Sirach 48:1-4,9-11
For today we leave aside ‘Second Isaiah’ and have a single reading from the book of Sirach, which is also known as the book of Ecclesiasticus. Sirach is one of the so-called ‘apocryphal’ books, which are part of our Catholic Bible, but are not included in the Bibles of the Jews or other Christian denominations. It is not to be confused with Ecclesiastes, a book accepted by all denominations.
This part of Sirach consists of a long list of eulogies of various personalities in the Old Testament. As the New Jerusalem Bible comments:
“This eulogy shows how a devout Jew of the 2nd century before Christ thought of the history of his people.”
The eulogy in today’s reading is about the prophet Elijah. He is praised as the prophet of the Northern Kingdom who prophesied in the name of God against King Ahab around 869 BC. He also denounced the worship of the god Baal. Elijah’s dramatic story can be found in the First Book of Kings (chaps 17-19) and in the first two chapters of the Second Book of Kings. Mendelssohn has a magnificent oratorio based on Elijah’s exploits. A number of his deeds are referred to in today’s reading.
Why read this passage today? There are at least two reasons. One remarkable thing about Elijah is that he did not die naturally. As today’s reading says, he was:
…taken up by a whirlwind of fire
in a chariot with horses of fire…
It was witnessed by Elisha, who took over his prophetic mantle. But it was expected that one day Elijah would come back to earth, and that his return would signify the imminent coming of the Messiah. He was:
…to calm wrath before it breaks out in fury,
to turn the hearts of parents to their children
and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
Whether Elijah has returned yet or not, we do not really know, but the Gospel—and Jesus himself—implies very strongly that the role as forerunner of the Messiah has been in fact filled by John the Baptist. And some of the texts that we have been reading this week from Isaiah are applied by the Gospel to John.
Another reason for this reading from Sirach is that today’s Gospel is a passage immediately following the story of the Transfiguration in which Elijah appears with Moses talking with Jesus.
We can apply the final passage of the reading to ourselves:
Happy are those who saw you [Elijah]
and were adorned in love!
For we also shall surely live.
The exact reading and meaning of the sentence is not clear because of defects in the original texts that have been handed down. But those who would see Elijah return would also see the Messiah who followed soon after.
We are among those fortunate to welcome the Messiah, Jesus Christ, into our lives and to learn from him the Way in which our lives are to be lived. And happy those who were “adorned in love” (in this context, ‘adorned’ means fallen asleep in death). For filled with the love of God, a life face to face with God forever is assured.
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Monday of Week 2 of Advent – Gospel
Commentary on Luke 5:17-26
Today’s First Reading from Isaiah expresses the excitement and anticipation of God’s coming in our midst. The Gospel is an example of this promise being realised. It is Luke’s version of the healing of a paralysed man who can only reach Jesus by being lowered through the roof of the house. The efforts which the sick man’s friends make to get him to Jesus is an indication of their tremendous faith and confidence in Jesus.
However, the man may have been somewhat surprised to hear the words of Jesus:
Friend, your sins are forgiven you.
That was not what he came for. He hoped something could be done about his paralysis. But the Pharisees and Scribes present were even more shocked:
Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?
Of course, they were perfectly right, but they did not put two and two together and identify the presence of God in Jesus.
So Jesus asks them:
Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?
Naturally, the first is easier to say. But to show that Jesus has the authority really to forgive sin, he says to the paralysed man:
I say to you, stand up and take your stretcher and go to your home.
Immediately, the man stands up before them all, picks up his mat and goes home.
To understand what is happening here we have to realise the perceived close relationship in those days between sin and sickness. Sickness, especially something chronic like paralysis or blindness, was often presumed to be the result of, or punishment for sin. So if Jesus can totally remove the sickness, it must mean the sin which caused it has gone too. Jesus can forgive sin.
We might not express things quite the same way now, but there may be some truth in the belief that there is a relationship between sickness and behaviour. Many people are sick and even in hospital because their bodies are revealing symptoms of ‘dis-ease’ which has its roots in their hearts and minds and feelings. The healing power of Jesus, which we all need, has to extend to every part of our being – body, mind, heart and in our relationships with others.
There are intimations in this story of resurrection and new life when the man now stands up – something he could not do before. And, now able to walk, he goes home, that is, he goes to the place where he belongs.
We too need the healing of Christ which removes the things which paralyse or handicap us in our following him. We need to stand anew in the Life that he gives and then find our way to our true home, which is to be with him.
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Tuesday of Week 2 of Advent – Gospel
Commentary on Matthew 18:12-14
After the wonderful Advent reading from Isaiah today, let us now look at the Gospel reading. It comes from chapter 18 of Matthew, in which we find one of the five long discourses of Jesus in his Gospel. The discourse deals with various issues involving relationships in the Christian community, and especially when those relationships break down.
Just before this, Jesus has been talking about scandal, that is, about actions by a Christian which are the cause of a fellow-Christian’s doing something wrong (Matt 18:6-9). It is bad enough to go against God’s will oneself, but to make another fall is much worse. Jesus says it would be better for such a person to be drowned in the sea. This is especially the case if one is dealing with one of the “little ones”. These ‘little ones’ are not exactly children—although children are clearly not excluded—but rather those who are weak and immature in their Christian faith and so can easily be misled.
It is at this point that Jesus speaks the parable of the shepherd, a shepherd who has lost just one sheep out of one hundred. He leaves all the ‘good’ ones and goes in search of the stray. It does not say why this one sheep wandered off. All that matters is that it has gotten lost and is separated from its shepherd. And when he finds it and brings it back, he is happier over this lost sheep than he is over the ninety-nine who never wandered away. This being a parable, there is probably a little exaggeration here because of course the real Shepherd loves all his sheep equally. But a point is being made—that our God loves us unconditionally, and is not only ready to have us back in the fold, but is positively overjoyed about it.
This parable can be applied both to those ‘little ones’ who were led astray and to those who did the terrible thing of leading them astray. Both will be welcomed back with equal joy.
As we approach Christmas and the birth of that loving Shepherd (how appropriate that the first to greet his arrival were shepherds!), we could well reflect on how we look on those who have gone astray morally or on those who may have been instrumental in causing their behaviour. How judgemental are we? And how ready are we to receive back the wrongdoer, not just grudgingly, but with joy?
Let the words of Jesus be deeply etched on our hearts at this time:
…it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
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Wednesday of Week 2 of Advent – Gospel
Commentary on Matthew 11:28-30
In spite of what we at some times feel, both today’s First Reading and the Gospel remind us that our God is never far away, especially in times of trouble. In the Gospel, Jesus makes this promise and gives an invitation:
Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Jesus reaffirms what Isaiah says, that we have a caring and tireless God who looks after his own:
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus seems primarily to be referring to the burdens which the Mosaic Law laid on people, especially as interpreted by some of the scribes and Pharisees. Under them, it was next to impossible not to put a foot wrong somewhere. And, as they saw it, perfection in the eyes of God was the scrupulous observation of the tiniest obligation.
Jesus liberates us from all that. It does not mean that we do what we like, but all is now reduced to simply one commandment, the commandment to love God and all our brothers and sisters unconditionally. That is not always easy, but we will find that keeping the commandment of love has a liberating effect. It helps us to become the kind of people we were meant to be. In being a law-keeper, I take care of my own ‘perfection’. In following the law of love, I benefit, but my brother or sister benefits too.
Jesus does not say that if we go to him that we will have no more troubles, no more pain and no more disappointments. There will be ‘yokes’ to carry, but he will carry them with us.
It has been suggested that the ‘yoke’ Jesus is referring to is a double yoke used for two oxen pulling together. Jesus, then is saying that he carries the yoke together with us.
Jesus never promises to take away pain. What Jesus does is to help us go through the pain. A life without any pain, without any failure or disappointment, a life without difficulty or challenge, is no life. When children are so protected by doting parents that their every whim is answered and every negative feeling anticipated, what do we end up with but what some might call ‘spoiled brats’.
Jesus will not spoil us in that way. The challenges of life are necessary for us to grow and mature. But they are easier to bear when he carries them with us, when we know that we are never alone in our difficulties and sorrows. And, because of our own pains, we are in a much better position to help others carry their yokes of sorrow or pain or sickness. Strange as it may seem, it is probable that a world without pain would be a very selfish and individualistic one.
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Thursday of Week 2 of Advent – Gospel
Commentary on Matthew 11:11-15
Jesus today has high words of praise for John the Baptist. John had a unique role which sets him apart from all others. He was the one to announce the long-awaited arrival of the Messiah. John is the last in the line of the great Old Testament prophets, men who spoke in God’s name pointing the way for God’s people, sometimes denouncing their behaviour and at other times pointing to a great destiny ahead. John is an Old Testament figure, but he forms a kind of bridge between the Old and the New. He died—in fact, was executed—before the mission of Jesus was completed. The New Testament or Covenant was sealed with Jesus’ blood on the cross. John never saw that; he never was fully a disciple of Jesus.
And so, Jesus says, even the very least in the Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus, is in a more privileged position than John. At the time of his death, John was not able to share in the abundance of life that was released through the death and resurrection of Jesus as every believing Christian can do.
At this point, there are some strange words:
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and violent people take it by force.
The meaning is not immediately clear, but it seems to refer to those who are using violence to prevent people from entering the Kingdom, and pulling away those who have already entered.
In the context of Matthew’s Gospel, this could apply to those Jews and others who were bitterly opposed to Jesus and his message, and who either tried to prevent people from entering the Christian community, or tried to make those who were already members, defect. This, we know from the letters of Paul, was happening in many communities. And it is still happening today, sometimes with violence (e.g. persecution) and sometimes in much more subtle ways (suggesting it is not ‘cool’ to be Christian).
John, too, is described as “Elijah who is to come”. We know that the prophet Elijah did not die a natural death. He was carried off to heaven in a chariot. However, it was a Jewish belief that some day he would return to leave this earth in a normal way and join the dead in Sheol. But the important point was that his return would be the immediate prelude to the arrival of the Messiah. In calling John ‘Elijah’, Jesus is clearly pointing to himself as the Messiah. And so Jesus says:
Let anyone with ears listen!
Those with real insight will know what Jesus is saying. They will listen carefully to his words and recognise Jesus for who he really is, and accept him as Lord.
We might conclude by reflecting that the role of John the Baptist is one that each follower of Christ is called to fill. It is up to us to prepare the way for Christ and his vision of the Kingdom to enter the lives of people. In the words of the Benedictus, a hymn said every day in the Church’s Morning Prayer:
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways…
(Luke 2:76)
Friday of Week 2 of Advent – Gospel
Commentary on Matthew 11:16-19
Today’s readings are about listening to what God is saying to us. The Gospel reading follows immediately on yesterday’s passage about John the Baptist as the one preparing the way for the Messiah. It ended with the words:
Let anyone with ears listen! (Matt 11:15)
So in today’s reading, Jesus upbraids the crowds for not listening. He compares them to children in the market place who complain to their playmates:
We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.
Thus, when:
…John came neither eating nor drinking…they say, ‘He has a demon’…
On the other hand when:
…the Son of Man came eating and drinking…they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’!
If we do not want to hear what God is saying to us through the people and situations in our life, we can so easily rationalise and reject the bearer’s frailty, and in the process reject the gospel as well—which is actually quite illogical. “A priest shouted at me in confession, so I don’t go to church any more.” It would be like rejecting democracy because of the corruption of a democratically elected official.
We do need to distinguish very clearly between the central vision of the Kingdom which Jesus left to us, and the ways in which that vision has been lived out through the centuries. It was Paul who said a long time ago that we Christians carry the message of the gospel in vessels of clay, easily broken, often leaking. It is important for us to realise that God can and does speak to us through very unexpected media and agents. It is probably true to say that some of the greatest saints had serious weaknesses. In fact, many of them became saints because of their weaknesses and through their weaknesses (see 2 Cor 12:7-10, where Paul thanks God for working through his weaknesses).
It is important, as Jesus urges us, that we really try to listen to the essence of what Jesus left us, his vision of the Kingdom. Very few of us hear the message without some form of filtering due to our history or our personal idiosyncrasies. It’s been said that, when a preacher preaches to 20 people, 20 different messages are heard. And there is nothing wrong with that, provided each one of us really tries to hear what God is saying, and we do not immediately push away something we do not like to hear.
The passage is nicely summed up in the last phrase:
Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.
Jesus is the embodiment of the Wisdom of God. Jesus needs no justification beyond the results of his life shown in all that he said and did, especially with the ultimate manifestation of love shown on the Cross. The same can be true for each one of us.
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