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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2008 /  Prepare the way for the Lord everyday

by Richard C. Macey special to The Michigan Catholic
Published November 28, 2008

First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11

The second part of the Book of Isaiah begins with these verses that echo the covenant made with Israel, "my people." The Babylonian exile is either over or very close to being over, and the people received encouragement from the prophecy. The Hebrew word for "comfort" in this section of the work is used to describe God's attitude toward Israel.

The prophet announces a threefold message to Jerusalem: "her service is at an end; her guilt is expiated; she has received … double for all her sins." Some exegetes interpret this last phrase to refer to two generations in exile, or to the intensity of the devastation was experienced in the city. Another scholar, based on Isaiah 54:1 and 4, interprets the "double" to mean childlessness and widowhood, the loss of both future and past.

Even the descriptions of locations have an important meaning. The "desert" is the same word to describe the place where the people wandered for a whole generation before entering the Promised Land. The experience of the Exodus was repeated in the return from Exile in Babylon in the sixth century B.C. "Valley" was associated with death. "Mountain" was symbolic of power. This is in contrast to the "power" of "the Lord God" in the later verses. In the Hebrew, there is a play on the name of Jacob, which uses the same consonants as "rough/crooked." The presence of God corrects the evil by making the way "plain/straight."

The second half of this passage continues to expand the "glad tidings … good news." It begins in Zion, which had been associated with the Temple Mount. It is announced to the entire city of Jerusalem and finally to "the cities of Judah." Groups of three signify completeness or perfection.

The passage ends with the announcement of the coming of the Lord God. He assumes His role as a good shepherd, a symbol of leadership over the people.

Second Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-14

Although Simon Peter, the chief of the apostles, is identified as the author, many scholars have given this letter the latest date of the New Testament writings, perhaps the middle of the second century. The letter appears to borrow much material from the Letter of Jude. Peter becomes the authority of the directives given in the letter. By attributing the conclusion of the author to a respected apostle, the people are assured of its truth.

The author alludes to Psalm 90:4, referring to the difference of time for God. God "is patient with you." In the Book of Wisdom 12:20, God demonstrates His power by allowing evildoers time to repent. The mercy of God was not just for those who merited it, but in order that they could respond to it.

The "Day of the Lord/God" appears twice in this passage. It is also found in prophetic literature, especially in Amos. It is the final judgment. All things will be judged, and God will restore justice and balance in nature. Coming "like a thief" describes the uncertain time of its arrival, although the fact of it coming is certain! Christians must always be ready for it. They are to keep themselves "without spot or blemish."

I have attended several funerals of people about whom the family said, "What a shame! He just turned his life around!" There may be a lesson in that statement. My brother had some difficulty holding a regular job. He always had work, but he had some difficulty with alcoholism that caused friction with his boss. He finally achieved a measure of sobriety, after a long struggle for him and the rest of our family. He returned to school and became a pilot. He continued to take lessons in becoming an airplane mechanic. He was proud to have passed his lessons. He found his wife in flight school … she was one of his instructors. He got along better with everyone in the family, and he began to have dreams and plans.

Then … a long summer with a sore throat revealed inoperable throat cancer. He died before the next summer. My Dad thought that it was sad that his life ended so soon after this turnaround. I was sad about losing a brother. But I thought that this was a miracle. He could have died many times in the depths of another disease that separated him from others. His death was within the sacraments of the Church and the love of his family who were at his bedside when he died. He died during a real upswing of his life. I don't think I ever was more proud of my brother than at the end of his life. That cancer waited just long enough for this transformation to occur. I think that he saw it, too. God truly gives us the time we need to prepare for that judgment day, if we are willing to use it.

Gospel: Mark 1:1-8

John the Baptist appears in the Gospel for the Second and Third Sundays of Advent. The Gospel of Mark begins its narration with a reference to him.

The Gospel of Mark is the only one of the four Gospels which calls itself a Gospel. Many scholars have looked upon one of the strains running throughout the gospel as the Messianic secret, the identity of Jesus, which is revealed gradually. The Gospel begins by proclaiming: "Jesus Christ, the Son of God." That title will not be spoken again until the end of the Gospel. The centurion at the foot of the Cross will make this profession of faith, when Jesus dies in Mark 15:39. In fact, many exegetes believe that this first line is the title. The entire Gospel is just "the beginning." The story of Jesus continues in the community of faith, who remembers and celebrates Him.

"As it is written" signals the use of an earlier passage of Scripture. The Book of Isaiah is the second most used book in the New Testament, after the Book of Psalms. The quotation is actually from a mixture of places in the Old Testament, not just Isaiah. John the Baptist is recognized as the messenger/angel who was announced in Exodus 23:20 and Malachi 3:1.

John's baptism of repentance does not appear in Jewish practices. Ablutions for purification were usually done alone. Also, John did not enter anyone into a select group or community. John becomes an agent for accepting repentance. The baptism by John was accompanied with an acknowledgment of sinfulness. It had a universal application: "the whole … all …. " Even Josephus, a Jewish historian who wrote in the last half of the first century A.D., acknowledged the popularity of John the Baptist.

The description of John, "clothed in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, reflects and recalls the description of Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8. At the start of the Gospel, Jesus is compared in a much more favorable position than John. The Holy Spirit is connected to a demonstration of the power and holiness of God. The Gospel still calls Christians to recognize the coming of Christ among us … everyday.

Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.