Catechism Links[1]
CCC 522, 711-716, 722: The prophets and the expectation of the Messiah
CCC 523, 717-720: The mission of John the Baptist
CCC 1042-1050: A new heaven and a new earth
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Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Commentary on Is 40:1-5, 9-11
This passage from Isaiah provides the first prophetic vision of John the Baptist: “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God” (see Matthew 3:3 which quotes this passage). Isaiah's prophecy then announces the coming of the Messiah and what a blessing he will be to the people. It uses language similar to that spoken by God as Jesus walks out of the Jordan following his baptism. He goes on in the first paragraph to describe the compassionate and loving character of the Messiah who is to come. In the second paragraph the prophet focuses on the new covenant that will be established with the people with the advent of the Messiah.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14
R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Commentary on Ps 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14
Psalm 85 is a communal lament that focuses on the woes of the nation. These strophes reflect the joy of salvation at the restoration of the land following the destruction of the temple and the Diaspora. Those faithful to God see the reward: a land restored, justice returned, and the salvation of God. When used in the context of the Advent season, the theme of preparation for a time of peace is announced. It is a clear tie to the herald of the Messiah, echoing Isaiah’s oracle (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11).
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Reading II: 2 Peter 3:8-14
Commentary on 2 Pt 3:8-14
The author begins this passage cautioning the people not to lose heart because the Lord had not returned in their lifetimes. St. Peter reminds them that God’s time is different than man’s perception: “…a thousand years like one day” (see also Psalm 90:4). He continues, reaffirming the Parousia (the second coming and the apocalypse). St. Peter teaches them that they must understand the day is coming, at a time they do not expect, when they will be called to account for how they have used the life God gave them. Their actions, he tells them, must be the very image of holiness and devotion to Christ Jesus.
CCC: 2 Pt 3:9 1037, 2822; 2 Pt 3:11-12 671; 2 Pt 3:12-13 677; 2 Pt 3:13 1043, 1405
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Gospel: Mark 1:1-8
Commentary on Mk 1:1-8
This introduction and beginning of St. Mark’s Gospel contains several important elements. First, Mark begins announcing his intent; to provide the good news of Jesus as the Christ – the Son of God. He follows this immediately by linking Jesus’ story to the Hebrew Scriptures describing John the Baptist’s role as fulfilling the oracle of Isaiah 40:3 (he actually includes other OT references from Malachi 3:1; and Exodus 23:20).
The description of John the Baptist recalls the Prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), further establishing St. John’s role as prophet and providing the pre-conditions necessary for the appearance of the Messiah (it was explicit in Hebrew tradition that the appearance of the Messiah must be preceded by the second coming of Elijah (cf Malachi 3:23-24)).
The passage closes with St. John the Baptist announcing the coming of the Messiah who will transform the people through, not simply repentance, but also by placing a new spirit within them (cf. Ezekiel 36:24-28).
CCC: Mk 1:1 422, 515
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Homily:
The themes of Advent are well represented in Sacred Scripture this day. We begin with the prophetic vision of the Prophet Isaiah, who sees the coming of salvation heralded by one who must appear to him to be Elijah returning, but who is in fact, St. John the Baptist.
The glory of God will be revealed as his path is prepared. We understand the metaphor being used. Not only must the event be announced, but the spirit of those who will receive the gift must be readied. Preparing a path for the Lord means that the “will” must be ready to accept the spirit of holiness that God will impart.
St. Mark introduces us to the herald of Christ, St. John the Baptist. We have known about him from before his birth. He greeted Holy Mary when Jesus was in her womb by leaping for joy (Luke 1:39-45). Now, fully grown, he takes up his mission, calling for a return to God’s law and reign. Eccentrically, he comes out of the wilderness reminding us of the Prophet Elijah, and basically hijacks the Jewish rite of ritual purification. (The Pharisees used this ritual out of Ezekiel’s prophetic book (Ezekiel 36:24-29) to symbolize that they had turned from sin. Later, in Jesus' public ministry (John 2:1-11), the Lord changes water intended for this use into wine at the Wedding Feast at Cana.)
The Baptist calls for conversion of heart and “repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” We note that St. John clarifies that there is one coming after him who will forgive those sins. His baptism is symbolic, the Lord’s is efficacious – it does what it signifies.
All of this is given to us in scripture, and how do we take it to heart? As luck would have it, I had a recent experience that provides an apt analogy.
Our family has a cabin (literally a log cabin) up north near Gladwin Michigan. In that cabin there is a very old round wooden table. How old, I’m not exactly sure, but to give you an idea, it was found in the attic of a house my parents bought in 1961. It had been there for a long time and house itself was nearly 100 years old. My guess is the table is probably around 100 years old now. It once had leaves, long since lost. The table is about 5 feet in diameter so our family of 7 fit around it quite nicely. It became our kitchen table and the place where most of our meals were shared. In that role it saw a lot of use.
When my mother found the table she went to work on it. She took off the peeling surface veneer and underneath found solid planks of what she called wormy Walnut, really pretty wood in spite of the name. Knowing the use she had in mind for the table, she needed to protect that wooden surface. She proceeded to refinish the top using stain and varnish. Now, the varnish available back in the early sixties was not what we have today. She put on several coats of varnish in order to protect it from spills and five growing children. As the years wore on, this varnish became sticky. By the time it was moved to the cabin in the early seventies the top had become tacky enough so that we expected to find flies trapped on its surface.
We decided it was time to refinish the table. So, on a long weekend the project was undertaken. For those of you who have never refinished furniture here is the process we followed:
First – the table was taken apart. The top was placed on long benches in the garage and the pedestal was put next to it on the same drop cloth we had under the table top.
Second – the old varnish had to be stripped off so we applied stripping compound and let it sit overnight. We were not sure if we were going to need to do this twice since at some point in the recent past a plastic table cloth was put on the table and the backing, a sort of cotton fabric, had stuck to the top so it looked as if it was growing fur.
Third – the next morning we came out with plastic putty knives and scraped off the gooey mess. Even though that was a messy job it was easier than what had to happen next.
Fourth – we needed to take the top down to clean bare wood so we started sanding – and sanding – and sanding, first with coarse paper, then medium, then fine, until we had a clean smooth surface.
Fifth – came the stain. In our case we used a combination stain and polyurethane coating so we combined two steps that any cabinet makers among you might consider sacrilege. But we needed to put on two coats and could have put on a third.
To complete the job we polished up the top with fine steel wool and moved it back inside and re-assembled it. The results were good. The table no longer traps flies and it looks great in that old log cabin of approximately the same age.
That refinishing project is what St. John the Baptist invites us to do to ourselves in this advent season as we hear his call to repentance. Just like that old table, our finish gets flawed and perhaps even sticky with time. We need to strip off that old finish and renew ourselves as we prepare to receive the great guest who comes at the Nativity of the Lord.
First, just as with that old table, we need to strip off the varnish of sin and bad habits that have accumulated since last we undertook this kind of effort. Also like the table, the longer it’s been since we have had ourselves down to bare wood, the more difficult the finishing process is going to be. In place of the stripping compound and sandpaper we have the sacrament of reconciliation to take care of the really big stuff, sins that blemish the soul.
Once we get that taken care of we can start refining the clean-up process. Prayer is a great refiner of our spiritual selves. It is a lot like sanding if you think about it. Since we are commanded to pray in private, no one really sees us praying, but it is in that way we get to know the Lord. We speak with him and he answers (if we listen). While people do not see that interior life of prayer, it is the foundation that ultimately determines what is seen by others.
So, in our analogy what represents that last step, the finishing process, in our lives? It is our actions in accordance with our faith. It is how we act around others and what we do for those less fortunate. Acts of charity do amazing things for the luster of our finish. In those instances, others see us as we hope to be seen, as adopted children of God.
As we really get into our Advent journey the hardest part is really deciding to begin the transformation that will make us worthy to receive the one who came and who is to come. Let that be our pledge going forward; that we will make the effort to remake ourselves so that like a beautiful piece of furniture we will be fitting guests at our Lord’s great feast.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2] The picture used today is “St. John the Baptist” by Francesco Solimena, c. 1700
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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