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Home , Prophet, Repentance

LOOKING AT THE SUNDAY READINGS for the SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, cycle B

(Resources in this packet were drawn from the Loyola Press website and the material of The Catholic Way: Breaking Open the Word • Copyright c 2020 Ann Naffziger. Published by the Pastoral Center / PastoralCenter.com. All rights reserved.)

SCRIPTURES: First Reading 40:1-5,9-11 Isaiah tells the people to prepare a way for the Lord. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 85:9-14 The Lord’s is near. Second Reading 2 Peter 3:8-14 Peter teaches that we must always be holy because the return of the Lord cannot be predicted. Reading :1-8 preached repentance and baptized the people, in preparation for the one who would baptize with the .

PERSPECTIVES: 1. BACKGROUND ON THE GOSPEL READING Today’s Gospel is taken from the beginning of Mark. Unlike Luke and Matthew, Mark does not include any details of ’ birth. Instead Mark begins with the appearance of John the Baptist in the desert. On this the Second Sunday of Advent, we are invited to reflect upon the role of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus and the salvation that he would bring to us. Mark’s description of the appearance of John the Baptist highlights John’s continuity with the Jewish prophetic tradition. Mark combines quotations from the books of , Isaiah, and Exodus. Mark’s description of John as an ascetic, living in the desert, clothed in camel hair, and eating locusts and wild honey, is reminiscent of the description of the prophet found in Second Kings. The people of Judea and Jerusalem flock to him, listening to his message of repentance and ; they also come to him to be baptized. Mark’s Gospel is clear, however, that John the Baptist’s role is only to prepare the way for another who will come, one who is greater than John. Many scholars believe that the reflect the tension that likely existed between followers of John the Baptist and disciples of Jesus. Each of the four Evangelists report on John’s preaching and baptizing, and they each emphasize the importance of Jesus’ by John. The four Gospels also explain that John was sent to preach in preparation for another. In the , the question is raised as to whether John the Baptist was himself the Messiah. Just as in today’s Gospel, however, John speaks quite explicitly that the Messiah was to come after him.

2. USE ART AS A FOCUS FOR REFLECTION In today’s Gospel we hear John the Baptist contrast his baptism of repentance with the baptism that Jesus will inaugurate. John says that he has baptized with water, but that the one who is to come will baptize with the Holy Spirit. John’s baptism was not yet a Christian baptism, but a preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism through which are forgiven and the gift of the Holy Spirit is received. John the Baptist is presented to us as a model during Advent. We, too, are called upon to prepare a way for the Lord. Like John the Baptist, we are messengers in service to one who is greater than we are. Our Baptism commissions us to call others to life as disciples of Jesus.

Watch this presentation on today’s artwork https://youtu.be/DtZP76wvsTE 3:13

The voice of John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness and gathering great crowds, invites us into the second Sunday of Advent.

Pieter Bruegel the Younger’s “John the Baptist preaching” captures this moment as he presents a wooded wilderness, embracing a colorful crowd. Left of center is John the Baptist, clad in camel hair, but one has to search to seem to find him. Instead of standing as a dominating figure, John is one of the crowd, one of the people who serves his peers with prophetic passion. For Bruegel, the crowd itself seems to be the dominant figure, it fully saturates the landscape as one body that reveals its diversity only upon closer inspection. A chief way Bruegel shows that diversity is through hats, hoods and headdresses, each signifying a different culture, vocation or profession. Bruegel shows not only the mix of people that might have been present in the region, but the great diversity of all human kind as the intended recipients of the good news that John is heralding. John prepares the way of the Lord to go beyond boundaries, starting with the colorful cavalcade of people who come to hear the prophetic message. The body of the crowd becomes vertical as people all around the perimeter climb the trees to get a better view. Sitting on branches, they foreshadow the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector, a figure of conversion and repentance from the Gospel of Luke. Thus the tree climbers also underscore the message of conversion that John is preaching, and ascending the trees also foreshadows the cross itself as the ultimate place of reconciliation. In the background we see a clearing in the woods that presents a vista of a river, a walled castle and misty mountains. This is an invitation to see beyond the immediate message, to the possibilities of ultimate home for us. The river, invocative of baptism is especially important is it winds like a road into this mysterious beyond. We too are called to look beyond and see ourselves as part of a body of people who are gathered by the good news. Like John, we are also sent to share the good news, so as to help open the horizon of possibilities that lead us all into ’s eternal love.

Imagine: if John the Baptist lived in today’s world, where social media is one of the fastest and most widespreadAs a prophet, ways St. to John communicate. the Baptist traveledHave young far and people wide choose to tell apeople socia lof media the Good platform, News such of Christ. as St. Facebook,John relied Instagram, on large gatheringsor Twitter, ofand people write to what be able some to of hear John’s his messagemessages so would that they, be or too, look could like ongo thatout platform and preach. What the Wordis the. best way to spread an important message? Name some of the problems John the Baptist would encounter by only using social media to preach.

During Advent, the Sunday Old Testament readings are from the . Just as led the out of slavery in Egypt and through the desert to the promised land, Isaiah is telling the people to prepare for another journey through the desert, this time back to their homeland. The verse “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord” will be picked up in today’s Gospel reading referring to John the Baptist. For Christians, it was John who paved the way for Jesus to begin his teaching and healing ministry.

Good and Gracious God, open my mind and heart today to hear your message in Scripture. May

your Holy Spirit inspire me so that I go out from here encouraged, consoled, and strengthened by

your Word. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

In the First Reading, the prophet Isaiah addressed the Jewish people, who were captives in . It was a time of great darkness in the history of our Jewish ancestors. Their country had been conquered and their people were captured and taken away to a foreign land. Isaiah was speaking to people who knew what hopelessness felt like, people who understood personal and national darkness and despair. They didn’t know if their nation would survive the conquest or if they would ever see their homeland again. Home was 500 miles across the wilderness as the crow flies, but a 900 mile trek because of the terrain. Isaiah proclaimed words of comfort, and promised that their ordeal was about to end. He knew the journey back home would be long and hard. The people would have mountains to climb and valleys to cross as they passed through the rugged landscape, but Isaiah promised that God would be with them to smooth the way. He assured them that their God was coming with power and like a would feed his flock and lead them with care.

3. CONSIDER THESE QUESTION:.

…Of all the disturbing situations in this year of 2020, which one(s) most disturb you and make you long for God’s relief or comfort? In what personal situation(s) am I experiencing mountains, valleys, and rough country? How have I experienced God, or God’s messengers, smoothing my way during a difficult time? How could I help to smooth the rough road of someone else I know this week?

Gracious God, in this time of preparation for Jesus’ birth, May we make more room in our hearts and our lives to welcome you, in whatever form you come to us. Amen.

Prepare Your Way. Mark begins his Gospel by telling us about John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin. He describes him as a prophet and messenger sent to prepare the people for Jesus. John is rather strange. He lives in the desert, eats and dresses oddly, yet he has attracted a large group of followers. He tells them “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me” (v. 7). John the Baptist tells his followers, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (v. 8). The “he” of course is Jesus, and the distinction John makes concerning baptism is important. John’s followers have repented and turned away from . He uses water to symbolize a cleansing from sin and a new beginning. Jesus’ baptism presupposes the turning away from sin. His baptism not only marks the end of sin, but also the beginning of a new life, a life in pursuit of love and truth. When we are baptized we receive the Holy Spirit, who not only gives us new life but also blesses us with the gift we need to enter into that life. Jesus’ baptism points us in a new direction and inaugurates us into a new way of living. The gift of the Holy Spirit is an invitation to action. It is not enough to just repent from evil—we must also become actively involved in the pursuit of good. This is the baptism we received when the water that symbolizes both death and new beginning was poured over our heads. Sometime this week take out the pictures of your child’s baptism. Remember: On the day of your Baptism you received Jesus’ Spirit, and were given the special help you would need to be good and accomplish great things. Remember the special gifts you received in baptism help to make the world a better place.

What gifts do I need to continue to give myself unselfishly to my family? What do I want to

remember from last week? What am I looking forward to next week? What are my concerns?

4. CONSIDER THE WISDOM IN A CARTOON