Repeat or Rhyme?

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The first reading today again comes from the Prophet Isaiah. Over the course of the week so far, the readings from the prophet have moved from the promise and announcement of the hoped-for King and redeemer, to the King establishing his rule, to yesterday’s banquet scene to which the faithful are invited and all are welcomed. This is the King more powerful than worldly empires and more trustworthy than all the successors to David’s throne. This is the King who comes to us in the Holy Eucharist. Continue reading →

After Pearl Harbor

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“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan,” words famously spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he addressed a joint session of Congress. He finished his speech with a request for Congress to make a formal declaration of war against Japan, thus entering the United States into World War II. Continue reading →

John or Jesus?

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. 3 A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’”

We often interpret vv. 2-3 in light of Matthew and Luke where they clearly refer to John the Baptist. John is presented before the OT quotes are given. However, in Mark, the only person who has been named prior to the quotes is Jesus. Note also, for those who have difficulty memorizing scripture, Mark’s quote is a hybrid: v. 2 seems to come from Ex 23:20 (LXX) and Mal 3:1 (MT) and v. 3 from Isaiah 40:3, but not quoted exactly. Continue reading →

The Banquet

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The first reading today again comes from the Prophet Isaiah. In yesterday’s post what has been, in times past, promised and announced, comes to fruition as the Promise One is depicted as ruling. In place of the kings from the line of David which proved to be faithless and fickle, in defiance of the empires such as Assyria, those verses describe a king in who ushers in a reign of safety and security to which the weary exiles may come streaming in return. Continue reading →

Another Question

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. In the previous post we considered some questions that are posed by the very beginning of Mark’s gospel. In the previous post we considered the meaning of the words of Mark 1:1 – “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God – taking on the Marcan intent of “beginning” and “gospel.” Now we consider the phrase “Christ the Son of God.”  A phrase too familiar to us. But what did the listeners of the 1st century hear, consider, and conclude? Continue reading →

Responsible not Privileged

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The first reading today again comes from the Prophet Isaiah. In yesterday’s post there is some background on the prophet and his writings which might prove insightful in this first week of Advent readings. But in today’s reading the messianic hope which began to be expressed in Isaiah 7:14 (Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel) and which was amplified in 9:1–6 (The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone…) comes to full flower. Continue reading →

Questions At The Beginning

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Mark begins his writing with a statement by the narrator: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (the Son of God).” For the people in Mark’s narrative the realization of who Jesus is will come only in starts and stops. As readers of this gospel, right from the beginning, we are given the answer to the question, “Who is he?”  We already know this narrative is good news for us; news about what will happen to us and for us. Yet even as the opening answers big questions, we are left with other important questions, ones that will help us to plumb the depth of this good news. Continue reading →

The Highest Mountain

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Here in the first week of Advent the readings from the Old Testament are taken from the Prophet Isaiah, a book that is quoted and referenced more than 300 times in the New Testament. The days of readings are not taken from a sequence, but are a collection of well-known passages from Isaiah. So, I thought it good to provide a context for the readings with a few notes on the Monday reading. Continue reading →

A Reminder about the Readings of Advent

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. As noted in last week’s commentary, the season of Advent has its own goals, purpose, and sense. That does not include jumping right into the infancy narratives. While one might argue that is where the story of Jesus begins in “time,” it is not a complete idea to describe what is unfolding in “time” but has been planned since the foundation of the world. The danger of beginning with the infancy narratives is that the real story of salvation can get lost in the all-too-familiar Christmas scenes. Those scenes will be celebrated in their own time and place – the Christmas season. But this is Advent. Continue reading →

The Wilderness

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle B. As noted in a previous commentary, the gospels of the Season of Advent follow a particular pattern.  For the Second Sunday of Advent the Gospel readings focus on the preaching and ministry of John the Baptist as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus, the one who came to “Prepare the Way of the Lord,” by calling the people to turn back to God. The readings often include passages from the Old Testament, particularly from the book of Isaiah. This Sunday the first reading is taken from Isaiah 40 and succinctly proclaims: “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” All of these first reading OT prophecies are associated with John the Baptist, and his role as the one who fulfills these prophecies is emphasized. Like Isaiah, John the Baptist’s message was one of repentance and conversion, a fitting Advent theme. Continue reading →