Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

“St John the Baptist with Saints”
by Cima da Conegliano, 1491-92

Readings for Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Isaiah 45:6b-8, 18, 21b-25
 
I am the LORD, there is no other;
I form the light, and create the darkness,
I make well-being and create woe;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,
like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;
let justice also spring up!
I, the LORD, have created this.
For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,
but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Who announced this from the beginning
and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, the LORD,
besides whom there is no other God?
There is no just and saving God but me.
Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear,
Saying, “Only in the LORD
are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come
all who vent their anger against him.
In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory
of all the descendants of Israel.”
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Commentary on Is 45:6b-8, 18, 21b-25
 
This song from Deutero-Isaiah, that part of the prophetic work written after the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile, praises God for his omnipotence. The selection begins with a prayer. “The Vulgate rendering gives a more precise messianic sense to this verse, using 'just one' and 'savior' in place of justice and salvation. The Advent liturgy uses the Vulgate form, Rorate coeli desuper . . ., to express the world's longing for the coming of Christ.” [4] 
 
Isaiah sees the conquering armies of King Cyrus as a forerunner to the messianic kingdom that is to come, and using the invective style of the Prophet Amos, he describes the universal sweep of God’s kingdom on earth. The driving theology behind this passage is the certain knowledge that there is only one true God and hence only one true religion.
 
CCC: Is 45:8 2795; Is 45:22-24 201
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
 
R. (Isaiah 45:8) Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.

I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.

Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.

The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
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Commentary on Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
 
Psalm 85 is a lament, begging for forgiveness and grace. This passage expresses the hope that God will be active in his support of the faithful.
 
CCC: Ps 85:11 214; Ps 85:12 2795
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Gospel: Luke 7:18b-23
 
At that time,
John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask,
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
When the men came to the Lord, they said,
“John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”
At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits;
he also granted sight to many who were blind.
And Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
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Commentary on Lk 7:18b-23
 
St. John the Baptist's sending of his disciples to find Jesus is also found in Matthew 11:2-19. St. Luke’s Gospel does not mention that John the Baptist is in prison at the time he sends his disciples to Jesus. Scholars have been puzzled by St. John’s question, “Are you the one?” Did he doubt what he knew to be true? Was he surprised by Jesus’ failure to identify himself clearly? Or was he simply becoming discouraged like Jeremiah 15:10ff? The Lord sends him reassurance of his identity as the Messiah, quoting Isaiah 61:1 and Isaiah 35:5-6. These quotes provide a summary of how Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy of the Messiah.

CCC: Lk 7:18-23 547; Lk 7:19 453; Lk 7:22 544
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Reflection:
 
“Are you the one who is to come?”  We hear the voice of St. John reaching out to Jesus from prison.  The question comes as a surprise.  St. John was predestined to follow in the footsteps of Elijah.  He was the voice crying out in the wilderness.  Could he have doubted what he knew from before his birth to be true?
 
It is quite possible, and scholars have speculated, that John’s reaction in this case was one reflecting his own depression.  He saw the end of his own mission as he sat in Herod’s dungeon.  Was this a call of desperation, a call for the Messiah to come to his rescue?  We think not.  We think his message, passed on through his own followers, was a passing of authority.  The Lord’s response makes it clear that St. John’s question was not to provide an answer for him but to provide one for us.
 
 Have we not all called out when things are darkest, “Are you the one?  Help me!”  When all hope seemed to be fading in our own situations, did we not call out, perhaps doubting the Lord’s love for us fleetingly?  Like little children who tell their parents when they are punished that their parents don’t love them anymore, we accuse the Lord of failing us.
 
 Now, as we look expectantly to his nativity and to the life that is to come, we are reassured.  If St. John could ask such a question, could we not have our own doubts forgiven?  If St. Thomas could ask to see the nail prints in his hands, can we not be excused for our little doubts?  Today our prayer is that our faith will remain strong, that we will be reassured by the proofs the Lord left in Scripture and the everyday revelation of God’s glory in his creation.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “St John the Baptist with Saints” by Cima da Conegliano, 1491-92.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] 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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] NAB footnote on Isaiah 45:8.