BIBLE STUDY #66
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
December 4, 2011


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.

The Word of the Lord


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.

The Word of the Lord

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."

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

Our Gospel today is the beginning of Mark’s Gospel that proclaims the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ, the one crucified and risen, acknowledged by the community as Messiah (8:29) and Son of God (1:11, 9:7, 15:39).

The prologue of today’s gospel (1:1-13) has three events necessary before Jesus begins his public ministry: 1) John the Baptist appears as the precursor of Jesus who preaches repentance; 2) the baptism of Jesus at which the Spirit descends on him and he is called the Son of God, and 3) the temptation of Jesus by Satan. Our gospel reading today encompasses the first of these 3 events.

Mark attributes the prophecy in today’s gospel to Isaiah, but it is really a combination taken from Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 40:3, and Exodus 23:20. John’s ministry is seen as a prelude to Jesus. "Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his path" is a reference to the end of the Babylonian exile and is applied to the future arrival of Jesus.

John being clothed in camel’s hair and a leather belt is reminiscent of the prophet Elijah. Jesus refers to John as Elijah who was to appear prior to the arrival of the Messiah (Mark 9:11-13, Matthew 17:10-12).

John’s food was locusts and honey. The locusts represent bitter punishment and destruction for the unbelievers, and honey represents the peace and plenty with which God blesses the faithful. These foods attest to the dual nature of the good news: the gospel brings judgment (locusts) or peace and comfort (honey) depending on how we receive the good news.

John preaches a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Many people were going to him to be baptized while they confessed their sins. They were preparing for the Messiah, who was expected to come at any time. He knows that to be ready for the Messiah, to be able to open our hearts to his work and word, we need to recognize our sinfulness and ask God for forgiveness. Nothing is more powerful in blocking the avenues of God’s grace than unforgiven sin. Jesus begins his public ministry by saying, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel (1:14-15).” Jesus picks up on John’s theme of forgiveness, and dies and rises to pay the price for our sins so we can inherit eternal life. Through Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit a new people of God is formed

John recognizes that he is the precursor of Jesus. He never makes the claim of messiahship, but says that "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.” He recognizes that his baptism isn’t as powerful as Jesus’ : “I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Jesus puts us in touch with God to bring us to holiness. The renewal that Jesus brings is more profound that John’s baptism.

The first reading from the book of Isaiah is from a time in Israelite history when they are displaced from their homeland in Babylon and are deprived of their right to worship God as freely as they did in their homeland. Today’s reading is taken from a section of the book of Isaiah called the Book of Comfort (chapters 40-55). They are told that God is with them, is present to them, even in the midst of their suffering and struggles. Isaiah was giving them hope that God would not abandon them, but eventually they would be freed and allowed to go home. Isaiah says that the Lord will lead them and the way will be easy: “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.” God will lead them like a shepherd leads his flock, caring and guiding for those in his care.

The second reading is from 2 Peter, which is probably the last New Testament book written (probably in the early second century). The purpose of this book is to strengthen the faith of the believers while they wait for the second coming of Christ. Many false teachers point to the fact that Jesus hasn’t returned yet as proof that he never will. The book argues that human calendars are irrelevant when it comes to God: “One day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.” The world will be dissolved by fire (the only instance in the New Testament of the end times described in this way) which is also part of Greco Roman literature and Jewish apocalyptic literature. The author is trying to tell us that the Lord will appear in glory at the end of time and all of creation will be transformed. We are to prepare for this transformation by committing ourselves to living Gospel values in our lives.



Fr. Phil