Readings for Tuesday of the First Week of Advent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Isaiah 11:1-10
But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.
On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 11:1-10
Isaiah predicts that the line of David will produce the Messiah with the first verse; “stump of Jesse”, Kind David’s father. He follows to list for the first time in scripture the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit[4] (note also, the reference to fullness, in Hebrew numerology the number “7” is the perfect number.). In the Septuagint and the Vulgate the word "piety" is coupled with “fear of the Lord”.
He follows the description of the gifts of the Holy Spirit with a list of the just and compassionate characteristics of the messianic rule and then a picture of universal peace under the messiah’s rule.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[5] Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
This Royal Psalm extols the virtuous characteristics of justice and compassion we heard in the reading from Isaiah. Listed again in David’s literature, the pattern of today’s scripture is pointing to the rule of Jesus, of the line of David, Jesse’s stump, the messiah and king of the age to come.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 10:21-24
At that very moment he (Jesus) rejoiced (in) the holy Spirit and
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 10:21-24
Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit because his disciples have understood his role of Messiah in the kingdom. He restates his relationship as Son of God (“No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.") The inference here is that we must approach that faith with “childlike” faith and trust in order to achieve that level of understanding.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Candle of Hope still burns!
The scripture today reveals the role of “Messiah” that will result from the Nativity we anticipate in this, our Advent Season. We see Isaiah predict his lineage once more, the Lord comes from the line of David, whose kingdom ended in 971 BC. He is the Stump of Jesse’s Tree, Jesse being the father of King David. Isaiah gives us today the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that created in Christ the perfect king and gifts to which we aspire.
In our Gospel, the Lord speaks through St. Luke telling us that; “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” He has revealed himself to us through his Father’s will that sends him. In childlike faith we are called to accept him; to receive him. This is the lampstand that holds up the candle of hope in our Advent Wreath.
We pause to consider what God has done for us in Christ to bring us such hope. Through all the generations of the faithful who have gone before us we were called to be God’s adopted children. In our Baptism that adoption was accomplished and our birth-right secured. As the baptismal bath cleansed us, the Holy Spirit was infused, changing us forever, giving us those seven gifts (which we all had to memorize at our Confirmation where we were “Sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”).
Those gifts; wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord open our hearts to hear God’s word and our minds to accept his message – good tidings to all mankind (reiterated in Isaiah – “The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.”).
Today once more we give thanks to God for all of his gifts to us; but most especially for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We ask for strength to act as God’s adopted children are expected. We especially ask that hope in the Lord be given to the hopeless, those who do not understand the love of Christ and the salvation he offers must indeed feel hopeless in the shadow of death undefeated.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “The Holy Spirit” by Corrado Giaquinto, 1750s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1831 “The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.
“Let your good spirit lead me on a level path."( Ps 143:10)
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”( Rom 8:14,17.)
[5] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Isaiah 11:1-10
But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.
On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 11:1-10
Isaiah predicts that the line of David will produce the Messiah with the first verse; “stump of Jesse”, Kind David’s father. He follows to list for the first time in scripture the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit[4] (note also, the reference to fullness, in Hebrew numerology the number “7” is the perfect number.). In the Septuagint and the Vulgate the word "piety" is coupled with “fear of the Lord”.
He follows the description of the gifts of the Holy Spirit with a list of the just and compassionate characteristics of the messianic rule and then a picture of universal peace under the messiah’s rule.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[5] Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
This Royal Psalm extols the virtuous characteristics of justice and compassion we heard in the reading from Isaiah. Listed again in David’s literature, the pattern of today’s scripture is pointing to the rule of Jesus, of the line of David, Jesse’s stump, the messiah and king of the age to come.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 10:21-24
At that very moment he (Jesus) rejoiced (in) the holy Spirit and
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 10:21-24
Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit because his disciples have understood his role of Messiah in the kingdom. He restates his relationship as Son of God (“No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.") The inference here is that we must approach that faith with “childlike” faith and trust in order to achieve that level of understanding.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Candle of Hope still burns!
The scripture today reveals the role of “Messiah” that will result from the Nativity we anticipate in this, our Advent Season. We see Isaiah predict his lineage once more, the Lord comes from the line of David, whose kingdom ended in 971 BC. He is the Stump of Jesse’s Tree, Jesse being the father of King David. Isaiah gives us today the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that created in Christ the perfect king and gifts to which we aspire.
In our Gospel, the Lord speaks through St. Luke telling us that; “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” He has revealed himself to us through his Father’s will that sends him. In childlike faith we are called to accept him; to receive him. This is the lampstand that holds up the candle of hope in our Advent Wreath.
We pause to consider what God has done for us in Christ to bring us such hope. Through all the generations of the faithful who have gone before us we were called to be God’s adopted children. In our Baptism that adoption was accomplished and our birth-right secured. As the baptismal bath cleansed us, the Holy Spirit was infused, changing us forever, giving us those seven gifts (which we all had to memorize at our Confirmation where we were “Sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”).
Those gifts; wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord open our hearts to hear God’s word and our minds to accept his message – good tidings to all mankind (reiterated in Isaiah – “The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.”).
Today once more we give thanks to God for all of his gifts to us; but most especially for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We ask for strength to act as God’s adopted children are expected. We especially ask that hope in the Lord be given to the hopeless, those who do not understand the love of Christ and the salvation he offers must indeed feel hopeless in the shadow of death undefeated.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “The Holy Spirit” by Corrado Giaquinto, 1750s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1831 “The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.
“Let your good spirit lead me on a level path."( Ps 143:10)
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”( Rom 8:14,17.)
[5] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved
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