Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

Readings for Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13

Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.

For then I will change and purify
the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,
to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
and as far as the recesses of the North,
they shall bring me offerings.

On that day
You need not be ashamed
of all your deeds,
your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them.
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Commentary on Zep 3:1-2, 9-13

This reading from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah contains parts of two Oracles. In the first section (v. 1-2), the leaders of Jerusalem are chastised as far from God (“She hears no voice” – To hear the voice of God was to be holy – the antithesis is to hear no voice). Although not explicit in the verses given, in v. 8 the oracle foresees God will judge the unholy and they shall be thrown down.

The next section (v.9-13) speaks of the coming messianic era – a time after the tyranny has passed, when the faithful remnant will be rewarded with salvation. The “poor in spirit” are saved and they shall live in peace (“They shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them” This poetic vision is used elsewhere as an image of peace –see Isaiah 14:30, Ezekiel 34:25, and Micah 4:4) The definition developed by the Prophet of the “poor in spirit” will be used by Jesus later describing the messianic expectation.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23

R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
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Commentary on Ps 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23

Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes hope for deliverance and freedom. Response: “The LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him."

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Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
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Commentary on Mt 21:28-32

This passage is the first of three parables concerning the judgment of the people of Israel. This parable could be taken simply as the difference between saying and doing (see also Matthew 7:21; 12:50). Jesus clarifies his meaning by posing a question to religious leaders using the hypothetical situation of the “two sons”. The point of his example is intended to be analogous to the difference between those who disbelieved the message of St. John the Baptist and the sinners (tax collectors and prostitutes) who did. Presented as it is, as a question to the Jewish leaders, the Chief Priests are forced to admit that the son who did the father’s will was the one justified.

This characterization does not mean that St. John led a righteous life but pointed to how one might be lead. Ultimately that parable tells the Jewish leaders that those they look down upon are achieving the inheritance of God before the leaders themselves because of their acts of repentance and devotion.

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Reflection:

The events described in St. Matthew’s Gospel give us some insight into how well the Lord understands human nature. In the situation described in the Gospel, the Lord was taking the Jewish leaders to task because, while the gave lip service to their belief in what God had told the people through the prophets and while they used pious acts to show others that they were faithful, by their rejection of first, John the Baptist, the Voice calling them to repent, and then their rejection of Jesus, they had failed to follow their own vows to God.

On the other hand, the sinners and tax collectors who accepted Jesus, even though they recognized they had sinned against God, would be the ones to inherit God’s Kingdom. His moral, accepted even by the Chief Priests, was that those who do God’s will, even if they are imperfect in voicing their acceptance of it, will be the ones who receive God’s favor.

Seeing this description, we understand why the Gospel is called the Good News. Have we not all found ourselves rejecting what God calls us to because it is hard. Haven’t we all, at least in prayer asked God to give us an easier way? Worse, haven’t we gone along with a crowd doing what we know would be displeasing to God – professed our faith in Church; but in practice done just the opposite?

At these times the Lord (and St. John the Baptist) calls us to repent, turn away from sin and be true to the Gospel. It is an offer, an invitation, that is always being extended and one we are tasked with extending as well. When the Lord tells the Chief Priests this story it is not to condemn them, it is to point out their error and invite them once more to put aside their disbelief and believe.

Today we pray that we will have the strength to be different than either of the sons in his story. We pray that our yes will mean yes and our no, no. We pray that our yes will always be to humbly walk with the Lord and do his will, as we have promised.

Pax

[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Christ before the High Priest” by Gerrit van Honthorst, c. 1617
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.