2nd Sunday of Advant - Sunday
4th December 2022 (Sunday) Readings and Reflection
Dear Brothers and Sisters, we are on the Sunday 2nd Sunday of Advant. Today's gospel reflection is on the theme Repent and relent!
{getToc} $title={Contents}
For more certainty the Readings are posted from the Latest Catholic Lectionary{alertInfo}
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
On that day: 1. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4. but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 6. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 (R. see 7)
Response: In his days shall justice flourish, and great peace forever.
O God, give your judgment to the king,
to a king's son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice,
and your poor in right judgment. Response
In his days shall justice flourish,
and great peace till the moon is no more.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the River to the bounds of the earth. Response
For he shall save the needy when they cry,
the poor, and those who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak and the needy,
and save the lives of the needy. Response
May his name endure forever,
his name continue like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blest in him,
all nations shall call him blessed. Response
Second Reading: Romans 15:4-9
Brethren: 4. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6.that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.8. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9. and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
Gospel : Matthew 3:1-12
1. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3. For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” 4. Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6. and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Repent and relent!
Indicative: The Lord is coming. So how to meet him? How to stand worthy in his presence? How to ensure a happy encounter? How to obtain the blissful effects of this interaction?{alertSuccess}
1. Once again our focus is drawn to our destiny. This Destiny is the “kingdom of God”. In the words of the prophet Isaiah in the first reading, this kingdom of God is equivalent to the Messianic times. The kingdom of God is there where and when the Messiah comes and reigns.
2. It is the time of the Spirit. Many aspects of this Spirit are enumerated. It is the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. It will be also a time of peace and harmony where the wolf and the lamb, calf and the lion shall dwell together. There shall be no spirit of hurt or destruction.
3. The whole purpose of our life is in reference to this destiny. The whole life must be oriented to reach that destiny. Advent is the holy season that deeply reminds us that this kingdom of God is at hand. The times are coming. The king is arriving. His coming is imminent. This calls for urgency to be prepared for that coming. There is no time to waste or procrastinate. We cannot afford to be indifferent or negligent.
4. Life fulfills its purpose to the extent our preparation makes us fit and worthy. Thereby, we not only stand near the kingdom but also enter into it and experience the7 benefits of its reign. Now, what kind of preparation is this? What are some of the ingredients of this preparation that suits us to the kingdom?
5. First of all, it is not any other preparation. It is “preparing the way of the Lord.” We are called to prepare the Lord’s way and not any other way. And here we can wonder that many prepare so many other ways except the way of the Lord. So a first simple question to ask oneself is: Is my way of thinking, looking, judging, speaking, doing, and behaving preparing the way of the Lord?
6. Therefore, this preparation implies making “his paths straight.” Many things in our life are not straight. Many things are bent and twisted. Many things are crooked and insincere. There is so much compromise and double-dealing. Many things are unstable and inconsistent. We need to straighten them. We need to put the wrong things in their place.
7. This preparation summons us not to be “presumptuous.” This presumption is especially about our religious allegiance as the guarantee for our salvation. Just because we belong to a hallowed tradition, we cannot presume to merit God’s grace. That is why John the Baptist in his preaching cautions, “Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’, for I tell you, God is able to raise up children for Abraham even from these stones”.
8. Preparation implies that we must be aware of the imminence of God’s judgment. “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
9. We must also know and be cautious that His judgment is impartial and just. There is no possibility to manipulate as we may do on earth. For “He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear; with righteousness, he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; but with the breath of his mouth, he shall kill the wicked”. “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire”.
10. But all this preparation requires Repentance. Repentance is the starting point and the driving force. The various components of the preparation are the process. The end and the goal is bearing fruits. These fruits are good actions that are in tune with the ways of the Messiah and the features of the messianic times.
11. Accordingly, with repentance, we set ourselves in the process of preparation. We strive to put on the mind of the Messiah, that is his Spirit. Thus, we shall continue to grow in the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and fear of the Lord. Like the Messiah, “Righteousness shall be the belt of our waist, and faithfulness the belt of our loins”.
Imperative: The holy Advent invites us to become the “voices crying in the wilderness”, like John the Baptist. In a wilderness-like world, we need to become witnesses that live and proclaim repentance that leads to a prepared life and bearing fruits of the messianic reign{alertSuccess}
Video Reflection
{getButton} $text={For More} $icon={link} $color={Hex Color}
Catholic mass readings for the day, catholic mass readings for today, todays gospel reading and reflection homily for today with reflection, catholic daily readings and reflections 2022, readings catholic mass and reflection, catholic daily readings 2022, catholic mass readings, daily spiritual reflections, catholic mass readings for today, today's gospel reading and reflection, catholic daily readings 2022, catholic mass readings for this sunday, homily for today with reflection, catholic readings and reflection for tomorrow, catholic sunday reading and reflection, a catholic moment reading and reflection for today, catholic sunday readings explained today's readings, catholic reflection, catholic lectionary readings today, catholic bible readings explained today, readings and reflection in catholic church, today's catholic reading and reflection, catholic daily readings and reflections, catholic daily readings and reflections in English, catholic online daily readings and reflections, catholic daily reading and reflection,