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DECEMBER 5, 2021
2nd SUNDAY of ADVENT
The ministry of John the Baptist provides the prelude for Jesus’ public ministry, and Luke carefully specifies the historical setting. Some of the names of rulers may mean little to us now, but they make the point that Jesus lived at a definite moment in history, in a definite place.
John preached repentance and baptized people in water as a sign of cleansing and repentance. Todays Gospel tells us a real story. John the Baptist came to prepare the people of Israel for the Messiah and point him out to the people as the “Christ.”
The Jewish people’s homeland was occupied by the pagan Romans. There was oppression. The procurator was Pontius Pilate. He was a mean and malicious man. Herod the King was brutal and ruthless. Ananias and Caiaphas were not the most revered high priests. The world that Jesus was born into was a difficult one.
John was called to be a prophet. He prepares the way for the Messiah. He fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament. One prophecy in particular is associated with John, that of Isaiah Chapter 40. In that prophecy we hear about the “voice” who is called out in the wilderness the summons to prepare for the Advent of God’s coming back to His people.
Certainly John’s location in the Judean wilderness by the Jordan would evoke great hope and expectation from the Jews of his day. The specific location was where Joshua led Israel across to enter the Promised Land. The Jordan was the threshold of the promise, and John’s summoning Israel to return to the waters of the Jordan for the forgiveness of sins meant that he was asking the people of Israel to make a fresh start. He invited them to a new beginning. Once again, at the Jordan, a new Joshua (Jesus) would lead them to the longed for promises of God.
God Bless
Msgr. Powell
Nothing Compares to Being There
“I have greatly desired to eat this Supper with you.” cf. Luke 22:15
All of us know instinctively that nothing compares to “being there” in person. Whether it’s being at a friend’s wedding, sitting down to have a heart-to-heart conversation, comforting a family member while she is grieving or watching as your baby takes his first steps, we all know that being physically present makes all the difference. The same logic applies to our life as Catholics. Especially when it comes to the Mass, truly, nothing compares to being there.
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