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| “St John the Baptist in the Prison” by Juan Fernández de Navarrete,1565-70 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 41:13-20
Commentary on Is 41:13-20
In this selection from the Book of Isaiah (now in the section called Deutero-Isaiah), we find part of the Hymn of Cyrus, Champion of Justice. (Cyrus was the Great, King of Persia who conquered the region around 546.)
In the first part of the passage, the oracle speaks in metaphor of God’s tenderness and love for his people, calling himself the redeemer of Israel. He will make the nation strong (conquerors will break upon them like the harvest against the threshing sledge). In the second section, God sings his hopes and plans for Israel. He will answer their call at need and will not forsake them.
Isaiah uses the harvest image to proclaim a victory of the Lord over those who oppose him. He once again reminds us that the Lord cares for the poor and those without hope. The Lord assures us that all that is and will be is created by God.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab
R. (8) The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Commentary on: Ps 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes (because it is in the acrostic form – each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) are loosely assembled, giving praise to God for his mercy and compassion, and giving thanks for His creation and redemption. It looks forward to the coming of the kingdom of God. God, says the psalmist, rules all things for all time.
CCC: Ps 145:9 295, 342
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Gospel: Matthew 11:11-15
Commentary on Mt 11:11-15
St. John the Baptist is in prison. His path foreshadows the Lord’s own as he awaits his fate at the hands of Herod. John's disciples have come to Jesus asking about his identity and are satisfied. Jesus now speaks of the Voice (an early Christian metaphor for St. John the Baptist).
We recall the earlier description St. Matthew gives of St. John the Baptist in Matthew 3:4 ff. His description matched that of the one given of Elijah, who was anticipated to return at the time when the Messiah was to come. That image is used again in this passage as Jesus tells the people that, as great as St. John is (a greatness that comes from John’s role of proclaiming the coming of the Messiah and extolling the people to repentance and acceptance of God’s rule in their lives), those who hear and accept the message of the Kingdom of God will be exalted in heaven, a greater heavenly reward.
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Homily:
We get a glimpse of something rather incredible in the Gospel today. We are told that one of the greatest of the saints, Jesus’ cousin – St. John the Baptist – in the midst of his great mission, was of lower status than the lowliest soul in the Kingdom of God.
Think of it! St. John, who comes as a great prophet – the Voice that announces the arrival of the Messiah – yet Jesus tells us: “the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” That is what we look forward to, eternal life in the Kingdom of God St. John
That should give us a serious jolt as we order our priorities. If we needed another reminder that building up our spiritual wealth is more important than material goods, this is it. What we prepare for in this Advent season is not just the nativity of the Lord, but the time when the Jesus comes again. At that time, we will be evaluated based upon how we have lived our lives, what we have focused on in our lives here.
Jesus, in this same Gospel passage, alludes to as much as he tells the people that St. John came to prepare his way as the prophecy said: Elijah returned in the person of St. John. The Messiah arrived in the person of Jesus Christ and he will come again.
As we prepare for the coming celebration, let us use this exhortation as a reminder that the gifts the Lord cherishes are pure hearts and minds directed to him in prayer and praise. We build our spiritual treasure in this season with the great hope that one day we will join “the least in the kingdom of heaven.”
Pax
[2] The picture is “St John the Baptist in the Prison” by Juan Fernández de Navarrete,1565-70
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