Gospel Reflection Dec 8 – Fr. Lynch
Sunday, December 8
Second Sunday of Advent
Lk 3: 1-6
Gospel:
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Gospel Reflection:
In this second Sunday of Advent in the Gospel of Luke we hear of the prophet John the Baptist. John is the cousin of Jesus. John is the last prophet before Jesus himself. All of the prophets of the Old Testament prophesized about the coming of the Messiah. They spoke of the one who will “wipe away every tear”, and the one who will “nourish and satisfy”, the one who will “wash away man’s sins”.
John is in line with all the prophets of old, however He takes a perspective of what we must DO in terms of preparation rather than what God does for us. In doing so John is pointing to cooperation from man’s perspective. That we must prepare for the coming of the Messiah. How? By repenting and believing in Christ and by “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”.
John is a messenger of God, and his message is out of love and concern, that we listen and follow God’s message to prepare for an Eternal Kingdom. Little does John know yet that He will baptize Jesus himself, not because Jesus is with sin, He is not because He is the Son of God, but because Jesus shows us the way back to the Father’s unconditional love, a love beyond all telling.
Pay close attention to the Gospels as we walk together on this Advent journey, a time of preparation (as indicated by John) and anticipation at the coming of Jesus at Christmas, the Word made flesh, Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”.
As you prepare during Advent in anticipation of Emmanuel at Christmas, give yourself the gift of personally encountering Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation next Sunday evening at our parish penance service. Jesus is our Hope, and I hope to see you there. St. Brigid of Kildare, pray for us!
Father Lynch