Prepare the Way of the Lord: Reflections on the Readings for the Second Week of Advent, Cycle A

If you haven’t already read the readings, you can find them here.

Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1-12

“When individuals are responsible, society prospers; when they lose their sense of responsibility, society decays.” Fr. John Catoir, Joyfully Living the Gospel Day by Day, March 22

Responsible leadership is a prerequisite for a successful society. When leaders are irresponsible, corruption follows. Many don’t want to accept it, but God is essential for a responsible society. Vatican II recognized this with the statement, “When God is forgotten, however, the creature itself grows unintelligible.” Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes

This passage from Isaiah takes place at a time when Israel was under the weak leadership of Ahaz who, though a poor leader, was of the house of David, the son of Jesse. As a prophet, Isaiah predicts the coming of the Messiah, a Davidic king, who “will sprout from the stump of Jesse.”

He will be a just judge, judging the poor with justice and “with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” This brings to mind the many times Jesus chastised the pharisees for their wickedness, even going so far as to tell the people to obey them but not to follow their example. (Matthew 23:2-3)

The description of the various combinations of predators and prey points to a better world as a result of his coming. And “the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.” And most importantly, “Him the nations will seek out; his dwelling shall be glorious.” This passage relates to the fact that God’s plan for salvation is for everyone, some translations even using the word “Gentiles” in place of “nations.”

The responsorial psalm also speaks to the theme of justice. It specifically mentions endowing the “king’s son” with judgment who “shall govern your people with justice.” It will be a time of peace and prosperity. He will save the lives of the poor. This was also a major theme of Christ’s teaching. Think of the episode where Jesus reads the passage from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth proclaiming, “glad tidings to the poor,” (Luke 4:18) after which He told the synagogue, ““Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

The responsorial also addresses that the king’s son will bless all the tribes of the earth and “all the nations [will] regard him as favored.” Thus this psalm, attributed to David, also notes that the Gentiles (that’s most of us) are a part of God’s plan.

Paul’s letter to the Romans also includes the Gentiles as part of God’s plan; “so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” Paul also emphasizes the importance of Scripture that “by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” And although in Paul’s day, Scripture basically referred to the Old Testament, that advice today applies to all Sacred Scripture, both Old and New Testaments. The canon of Scripture was decided upon by the Catholic Church in the 4th Century and remained constant until Luther “edited” God’s word in the 16th Century. The determination at the council of Rome in the 4th Century (382 A.D.) and reaffirmed at the councils of Hippo (393 A.D.) and Carthage (397 A.D.) established the books of the Bible as it stands today.

As for Luther, basing his decision on a different source, he essentially removed seven books from the Bible as well as using shorter versions of the books of Daniel and Esther, thus changing what had been over a thousand years of Scripture to what is today in the Protestant Bibles. As Dr. Peter Kreeft puts it, the Catholic Church position is to interpret and pass on God’s mail, not to edit it.

Like Jesus (John 17:22), Paul urges unity: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The gospel reading from Matthew introduces us to John the Baptist and his message. In Luke’s gospel we first hear of John while he was in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, during her visitation by Mary (Luke 1:44). Now we meet John in his public ministry as prophesied by his father, Zechariah, “And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, ...” (Luke 1:76) Like Jesus’ message, John is preaching the need for repentance, “"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Later in Matthew’s gospel we will read Jesus saying these same words (Matthew 4:17).

Matthew connects John the Baptist directly with the words from Isaiah, “A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Isaiah 40:3) Many years ago there was a musical called Godspell, which had an iconic song, “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,” which still goes through my mind whenever I read this passage.

Like many of Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees and Sadducees, John excoriates them, calling them a “brood of vipers” who are not producing good fruit. Without repentance they will be “cut down and thrown into the fire.” He then warns them of the coming of Jesus of whom he is 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." Even here, before we meet Jesus beginning His public ministry, we get the warning that Hell awaits those who refuse to truly repent.

When we get around to Ordinary Time in January Matthew will tell us about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry at which time the prophecy of John the Baptist will come to light.

In the meantime, we are in the process of preparation, as John declared. Our preparation is actually twofold. We are preparing for the celebration of the Incarnation at Christmas, an opportunity to prepare ourselves to bring Christ into our lives, as well as preparing ourselves for the Second Coming, at an unspecified time yet to come, of which only the Father knows. Jesus warned us to be prepared always. And so, in preparation for Christmas, and the celebration of the Promise going back to Adam and Eve, we should also be in a constant state of readiness and perseverance for when Jesus returns in glory “to judge the living and the dead.”