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“The Prophet Isaiah”
by Lorenzo Monaco, 1405-10 |
Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
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Commentary on Is 35:1-6a, 10
The prophet Isaiah envisions the beauty of the land as the people of Israel return from the Babylonian exile for his contemporaries. The dignity and strength of those exiled will be restored: "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing." For later generations this is seen as a vision of the coming of the messiah, who comes with healing hands to lift up the poor and those seen as punished by God.
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Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
R. (cf. Is 35:4) Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The Lord God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The Lord gives sight to the blind;
the Lord raises up those who were bowed down.
The Lord loves the just;
the Lord protects strangers.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
Psalm 146 is from the wisdom tradition. Here we are given a vision of God’s salvation. His saving power (envisioned in the oracle of Isaiah and fulfilled in Jesus the Christ) lifts up the poor and the down-trodden. The Lord heals those afflicted with every sort of malady.
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James 5:7-10
Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
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Commentary on Jas 5:7-10
The apostle exhorts the faithful, especially those persecuted for their faith, to be patient and not to lose faith in the Lord. He encourages them to stay unified, supporting each other and not to turn on one another in frustration ("Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged."). St. James recalls that the Hebrew prophets were also persecuted, yet remained faithful.
“Those oppressed by the unjust rich are reminded of the need for patience, both in bearing the sufferings of human life (James 5:9) and in their expectation of the coming of the Lord. It is then that they will receive their reward (James 5:7-8, 10-11; cf Hebrews 10:25; 1 John 2:18).”[5]
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Matthew 11:2-11
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
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Commentary on Mt 11:2-11
In this selection from St. Matthew’s Gospel, St. John the Baptist sends his disciples to question Jesus. He does so because his expectation of the prophesied messiah, based upon great Hebrew prophets, is of one coming with power and majesty, “his winnowing fan will be in his hand.” In response the Lord directs them to see the messiah as Isaiah’s oracle predicted (Isaiah 35:1-6). It can be seen as a warning not to disbelieve because the expectations of a “Royal Messiah” were not met.
The Gospel continues with the Lord turning to the crowd and praising St. John’s role, likening him to Elijah who was to come, preparing the way for the messiah. He concludes this passage with a statement about the reward given to those who hear and believe in the Kingdom of God.
CCC: Mt 11:5 549, 2443; Mt 11:6 548
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Reflection:
The Gospel message summarizes the vision of both the incarnation of Jesus and the vision of his coming again. It also does one more very important thing: it asks a question that we must answer for ourselves. In the Gospel Jesus is speaking to the disciples of St. John the Baptist (it is likely St. Andrew was among them). They came to him with a rather insulting question. They ask him directly if he is the messiah. As if to add injury, they finish their question with: “or should we look for another?”
The reason for this question goes back to what we have heard from Scripture previously. Recall the words of St. John the Baptist as he spoke to the Sadducees and Pharisees about the messiah: “Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:10-12)
The Baptist was expecting the Lord to come with authority and power like Elijah, calling down the wrath of God on those who opposed him. In a breath, the Lord changed everything. He told St. John’s disciples, quoting Isaiah’s vision, that he was the Messiah, and they did not need to look elsewhere. The Baptist had just looked at the wrong prophecy. Justice for the unjust would come later. First, God’s love and the hope for things not seen must be expressed to the poor through his Son, the crippled, the blind and the mute, those seen by others as being punished by God.
As if to emphasize his point he turned to the crowd and asked them about St. John. He asked them what they had gone into the desert expecting. (“What did you go out to the desert to see?”) This question brings our question into sharp focus: what do we expect of Christ? Do we go to Mass and come away saying: “I didn’t get much out of that”? What had we gone to see? When we do God’s work and behave in ways we know God would approve and no one says “thank you,” or even worse, when you are criticized for it, we must ask: “What did we expect?” Did we expect angel choirs or loud hosannas for doing as we have been asked to do?
The Gospel message is crystal clear today. The Lord asks us during this, our season of great expectation, what it is we expect. It is a difficult question for us but one we need to pray on. On this “Little Easter,” on this “Eighth Day,” we pray that our hope is the hope God gives, not what the world gives. We also pray for the patience St. James mentions as we see the hope of eternal life dawn at the Nativity of the Lord.
Pax
In other years on December 11th: Optional Memorial for Saint Damasus I, Pope
[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 is “The Prophet Isaiah” by Lorenzo
Monaco, 1405-10.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] NAB Footnote on James 5:7ff.
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