The Word today, Advent2C
- Admin
- Dec 6, 2024
- 3 min read
December 09 - December 14, 2024
The Immaculate Conception of the BVM
Genesis 3:9-15, 20 The early stories in Genesis explore common human experiences , including sin, shame and the “outsourcing” of blame! All very human, of course. The serpent symbolises something more sinister—the power of sin, against which we need the grace of God.
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 The great hymn from Ephesians explores God’s grace in Christ, thus inviting us to engagement gratitude.
Luke 1:26-38 Mary’s yes is in contrast to the “no” of Adam and Eve...and all the rest of us of course! It is really good news that “nothing is impossible for God.”
Our Lady of Loreto
Isaiah 40:1-11 Powerful images in this reading should awaken a deep longing in our hearts. Let us come again to the great shepherd of our souls, holding us and leading us in all circumstances.
Matthew 8:12-14 The parable of the lost sheep makes a direct link with Isaiah. Of course, the ninety-nine who don’t stray at all also don’t really exist! We are, all of us, lost sheep and in need of guidance.
St Damasus I, bishop of Rome
Isaiah 40:25-31 Our reading today is really a meditation on God and in particular on the “beyond-ness” of God (his transcendence). The fact that God is so other in this reection is a source of hope and renewed energy.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Yoke” was a term used by the rabbis to refer to the guidance of Torah, by which we plough straight furrows in life. Jesus himself is now our Law and his guidance is light.
Our Lady of Guadalupe; St Finian, bishop
Isaiah 41:13-20 The opening line of this poem give the key to the rest: Do not be afraid. The reading goes on to explore such deep trust using several metaphors: harvesting, drought and barrenness.
Matthew 11:11-15 So, who really was John the Baptist? In Jesus’ estimation, John was the greatest of the old dispensation. In orthodox tradition he is called the forerunner, the prodromos. Yet even he falls into the second rank compared with the least in the kingdom of heaven!
St Lucy, virgin and martyr
Isaiah 48:17-19 There is a great promise in this reading, but also one big “if ”: if only you had been alert to my commandments. Isaiah can tell us the rest!
Matthew 11:16-19 There’s no pleasing some people seems to be the message of this passage.
[The very last line, puzzling to us, calls for special comment. The passage comes from the Q community, who produced the Sayings Source (Q), behind parts of Matthew and Luke. In the view of that community, John, Jesus and their members were all children of transcendent wisdom. Originally, the last verse read: But Wisdom was vindicated by her children. (Q 7:35; see Luke 7:35.) For Matthew, Jesus himself is our Wisdom and so he alters the text and continues his portrait to Jesus as wisdom in Mt 11:25-30.]
St John of the Cross, priest and doctor
Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4, 9-12 Elijah remained a gure of fascination long after his death, as we hear in this reection. An Elijah-type gure was expected to usher in the long-expected Messiah. The blessedness of this is caught in the very appealing beatitude which closes the reading.
Matthew 17:10-13 As noted above, the expected Elijah-type gure was based on Mal 3:1. By identifying John as Elijah, Jesus afrms the signicance of the present moment and his own ministry.
References
-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024ag, December 8). Second Sunday of Advent. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120824.cfm
-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/
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