Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” November-December 2022

2nd Sunday of Advent (A)
2nd week, psalter

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 11:1-10)
On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow from his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by appearances, nor decide by hearsay; but he shall judge the poor with justice and decide fairly for the humble of the land. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his hips. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down beside the kid; the calf and the young lion shall graze together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze together; their young shall lie down together. The lion shall eat hay like the ox. The infant shall play over the viper’s den; the child shall put his hand into the serpent’s lair. They shall no longer act wickedly or plunder anywhere on my holy mountain, for the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the earth as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal for the peoples. The nations shall seek him eagerly. His dwelling shall be glorious. – The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

The messianic times are not announced by great signs and wonders; no fireworks are set off, nor will they be reported on the national evening news. God’s presence in the world is announced and contained in a small shoot: a new life that develops silently on a trunk that now seems lifeless. This choice of God to reveal himself through small things could unsettle those who are always expecting signs and wonders, causing them to miss the Father’s action in the concrete, daily, ordinary history of humanity and the world. God, who intervenes in history, does not seek people’s applause and has no need to gain any fame. His action becomes evident in the transformation of the whole of reality. Those who were once enemies now share everyday life; incompatible beings will find themselves grazing together. This is not a new world, but a world made new, or better, a new way of relating to one’s fellow human beings and to reality. All this newness of life will be guided by a child. What a grace it is to have encountered him.

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans  (Rom 15:4-9)
Brothers and sisters, whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, so that, by the perseverance and encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. May the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, so that with one accord and one voice you may glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised to show the faithfulness of God in fulfilling the promises made to the fathers; the Gentiles, meanwhile, glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: «For this reason I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing hymns to your name». – The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

A Christian is recognized by love: love for the Lord and love for one’s brother or sister. One cannot exist without the other. Paul writes this very clearly to the community in Rome. Unfortunately, we know that this love, whose intimate beauty and correspondence to our hearts we perceive, is not always easy to live out. A kind of division also dwells within each of us: we would always like to do good, yet we find ourselves doing evil; we would like to love always, everyone and regardless, yet we clash with our own limitations and those of others, who sometimes seem to do everything possible to make themselves impossible to love. Must we surrender to this reality? Should we lower our expectations and reduce our horizons? No. Paul offers us a way out: the Lord knows how to respond to this longing for goodness. He alone can grant us to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus. Through the powerful weapon of prayer, we can live according to the nature of our hearts and build authentic communion each day.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 3:1-12)
In those days, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying: «Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!». He is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: «A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight!». John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; his food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. When he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: «You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father!”. For I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize 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 the barn, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire». – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

«Each person vaguely grasps a good in which the soul may find rest and which it desires; therefore each strives to attain it». We have recently concluded the celebrations marking the anniversary of the death of the great poet Dante Alighieri, and perhaps no one more than he has been able to focus on the feelings and emotions, hopes and disappointments, doubts and certainties of men and women of all times. In the seventeenth canto of Purgatory, we find this magnificent statement of his, which aptly describes everyone’s attempt to seek goodness and the supreme Good. Today’s Gospel testifies that John the Baptist, too, was not outside this human condition, and it also tells us what his expectations were regarding the Messiah. The Messiah that he conceived, imagined, and desired was to be a judge, in the noblest sense of the term, someone who would put everything in its proper place. It would not be so with Jesus of Nazareth, so much so that one day, while John the Baptist was in prison because of the accusation he had brought against Herod, he sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus: «Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another?» (Lk 7:19b). Jesus is the Father’s eternal newness.