The Word today, Advent4B23
- Admin
- Feb 26, 2024
- 3 min read
December 25 - December 30, 2023
Isaiah 62:1-5 - For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch. Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the LORD. You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem held by your God. No more shall people call you “Forsaken,” or your land “Desolate,” but you shall be called “My Delight,” and your land “Espoused.” For the LORD delights in you and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.
Acts 13:16-17, 22-25 - When Paul reached Antioch in Pisidia and entered the synagogue, he stood up, motioned with his hand, and said, “Fellow Israelites and you others who are God-fearing, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt. With uplifted arm he led them out of it. Then he removed Saul and raised up David as king; of him he testified, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.’ From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”
St Stephen, the first martyr
Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59 As you listen, you may notice in the account of Stephen’s death many echoes of Jesus’ death in Luke’s Gospel, such as praying for his enemies.
Matthew 10:17-22 It is clear from Matthew’s Gospel that becoming and being a Christian sometimes caused tremendous family upheaval. But the message is reassuring: in the moment of testing, the Holy Spirit will be with you.
St John, apostle and evangelist
There is a consensus in critical biblical suites that the apostle and the evangelist are two different persons. For some, this may be news and perhaps a shock. For others, it means we celebrate twice!
1 John 1:1-4 This passage from the first letter of John is very poetic and uplifting. It reminds us a little of the prologue of the Gospel of John.
John 20:2-8 Readers will notice the start contrast between the reactions of Peter and that of the Beloved Disciple. The Beloved Disciples is symbolic, showing that the “charismatic” arrives more quickly at the truth
Holy Innocents
1 John 1:5-2:2 Our reading today is both highly spiritual—God is light—and immensely practical—we all do sin.
Matthew 2:13-18 The tragic note struck by this story in Matthew’s Gospel reminds us that Christmas is also about the cross. The writer echoes the birth of Moses as well as the history of the Exile in Babylon.
St Thomas à Beckett
1 John 2:3-11 How old and how new is the Gospel? The command to love is hardly new as such—see Deut 6:4-6. But it is newly possible in the light of Jesus’ resurrection and the gift of the Spirit.
Luke 2:22-35 Today we hear a delightful vignette of the best of Jewish piety. Simeon—one of the few old people in the New Testament—is a model of piety and faith.
1 John 2:12-17 The reading addresses the hearers directly but needs careful handling. The “world” does not mean creation as such but whoever in creation is opposed to God.
Luke 2:36-40 Matching the story of Simeon, we hear the story of Anna, daughter of Phanuel. She too is a model of Jewish piety and trust in God. As a prophetess, she proclaims Jesus to all who long for deliverance.
References
-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2023b, December 24). Fourth Sunday of Advent. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122423.cfm
-Sunday readings. (n.d.-b). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/
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