Readings
for
7 December 03
Second Sunday in Advent




Today's First Reading is from The Book of Baruch beginning at the 5th Chapter and the 1stVerse (Bar 5:1-9)

    Put off, O Jerusalem, the garment of thy mourning, and affliction: and put on the beauty, and honour of that everlasting glory which you have from God. God will clothe you with the double garment of justice, and will set a crown on your head of everlasting honour.  For God will show his brightness in you, to every one under heaven. For thy name shall be named to thee by God for ever: the peace of justice, and honour of piety.

    Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high: and look about towards the east, and behold your children gathered together from the rising to the setting sun, by the word of the Holy One rejoicing in the remembrance of God. For they went out from you on foot, led by the enemies: but the Lord will bring them to you exalted with honour as children of the kingdom. For God has appointed to bring down every high mountain, and the everlasting rocks, and to fill up the valleys to make them even with the ground: that Israel may walk diligently to the honour of God. Moreover the woods, and every sweetsmelling tree have overshadowed Israel by the commandment of God. For God will bring Israel with joy in the light of his majesty, with mercy, and justice, that comes from him.


La Primera Lectura es del Libro de Baruc, empezando en el 5mo Capitulo, y el 14mo Verso (Bar 5:1-9)

    Jerusalén, despójate de tu vestido de luto y aflicción y viste las galas perpetuas de la gloria que Dios te da; envuélvete en el manto de la justicia de Dios y ponte a la cabeza la diadema de la gloria perpetua, porque Dios mostrará tu esplendor a cuantos viven bajo el cielo. Dios te dará un nombre para siempre: "Paz en la justicia, Gloria en la piedad."

    Ponte de pie, Jerusalén, sube a la altura, mira hacia Oriente y contempla a tus hijos, reunidos de Oriente a Occidente, a la voz del Espíritu, gozosos, porque Dios se acuerda de ti. A pie marcharon, conducidos por el enemigo, pero Dios te los traerá con gloria, como llevados en carroza real. Dios ha mandado abajarse a todos los montes elevados, a todas las colinas encumbradas, ha mandado que se llenen los barrancos hasta allanar el suelo, para que Israel camine con seguridad, guiado por la gloria de Dios; ha mandado al bosque y a los árboles fragantes hacer sombra a Israel. Porque Dios guiará a Israel entre fiestas, a la luz de su gloria, con su justicia y su misericordia.


Today's Song of Praise is taken from Psalm 126:  (Ps 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6)

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.


El Salmo Responsorial se toma del Salmo 126:  (Ps 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6)

R.  El Señor ha estado grande con nosotros y estamos alegres

Cuando el Señor cambió la suerte de Sión,
nos parecía soñar;
la boca se nos llenaba de risas,
la lengua de cantares.

R.  El Señor ha estado grande con nosotros y estamos alegres

Hasta los gentiles decían:
"El Señor ha estado grande con ellos."
El Señor ha estado grande con nosotros,
y estamos alegres.

R.  El Señor ha estado grande con nosotros y estamos alegres

Que el señor cambie nuestra suerte,
como los torrentes del Negueb.
Los que sembraban con lágrimas,
cosechan entre cantares.

R.  El Señor ha estado grande con nosotros y estamos alegres

Al ir, iban llorando,
llevando la semilla,
al volver, vuelven cantando,
trayendo sus gavillas.

R.  El Señor ha estado grande con nosotros y estamos alegres


Today's Epistle is from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians, beginning at the 1st Chapter, and the 4th Verse (Phil 1:4-6,8-11)

    Always in every prayer of mine for you, I say my prayer with joy,  thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

    For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,  so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.


Epistolo de la Carta del Apostolo San Pablo a los Filipcenses , empezando en el Capitulo 1ro, y el Verso 4mo  (Phil 1:4-6,8-11)

    Siempre que rezo por vosotros, lo hago con gran alegría. Porque habéis sido colaboradores míos en la obra del evangelio, desde el primer día hasta hoy. Esta es nuestra confianza: que el que ha inaugurado entre vosotros una empresa buena, la llevará adelante hasta el Día de Cristo Jesús.

    Testigo me es Dios de los entrañablemente que os quiero en Cristo Jesús. Testigo me Dios de lo entrañablemente que os quiero en Cristo Jesús. Y ésta es mi oración: que vuestra comunidad de amor siga creciendo más y más en penetración y en sensibilidad para apreciar los valores. Así llegareis al Día de Cristo limpios e irreprochables, cargados de frutos de justicia, por medio de Cristo Jesús, a gloria y alabanza de Dios.


+A Reading from the Gospel of Luke, beginning at the 3rd Chapter, and the 1st Verse (Luke 3:1-6)

    In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,  in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness;  and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.   Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;  and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."


+Lectura del Santo Evangelio según San Lucas, empezando en el 3mo Capitulo, y el 1ro Verso  (Lucas 3:1-6)

En el año quince del reinado del emperador Tiberio, siendo Poncio Pilato gobernador de Judea, y Herodes virrey de Galilea, y su hermano Felipe virrey de Iturea y Traconítide, y Lisanio virrey de Abilene, bajo el sumo sacerdocio de Anás y Caifás, vino la Palabra de Dios sobre Juan, hijo de Zacarías, en el desierto.

Y recorrió toda la comarca del Jordán, predicando un bautismo de conversión para perdón de los pecados, como está escrito en el libro de los oráculos del Profeta Isaías.

-- Una voz grita en el desierto: preparad el camino del Señor, allanad sus senderos; elévense los valles, desciendan los montes y colinas; que lo torcido se enderece, lo escabroso se iguale. Y todos verán la salvación de Dios.

(In Russian:)

Продолжение  Евангелия  Луки  -- начинается  в 3-ом главом  и  в  1-ом  стыxом 

В    пятнадцатый  же   год   правления Тиверия   кесаря,   когда   Понтий   Пилат начальствовал   в   Иудее,   Ирод   был четвертовластником   в   Галилее,  и Филипп,  брат   его,   четвертовластником   в   Итурее   и   Трахонитской   области,   а Лисаний   четвертовластником   в Авилинее,  при   первосвященниках   Анне и Каиафе,   был   глагол   Божий   к   Иоанну, сыну   Захарии,   в   пустыне.   И   он   проходил по   всей   окрестной   стране  Иорданской, проповедуя   крещение   покаяния   для прощения   грехов,  как   написано   в   книге слов   пророка   Исаии,   который   говорит: глас   вопиющего   в   пустыне:   приготовьте   путь   Господу,   прямыми сделайте   стези   Ему;  всякий   дол   да наполнится,   и   всякая  гора   и   холм   да понизятся,   кривизны   выпрямятся   и неровные   пути   сделаются   гладкими;  и узрит   всякая   плоть   спасение   Божие.


Sermon
for
7 December  2003
Second Sunday in Advent


    Here we are at the Second Sunday in Advent and the Readings are pointed and prophetic.

    The Book of Baruch -- Book of the Prophecies of Baruch -- is found in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testment from which most of the quotations in the New Testament were drawn -- but not in Bibles which follow the Jewish Canonical list, compiled sometime after 200 AD. 

    The Book has no great revelations, no startling doctrines -- it is the work of a pious Jew who meditated on the prophecies of his Faith, and wrote down what he concluded.

    In today's Reading, Baruch tells Jerusalem to rejoice -- that "God will  . . . set a crown on your head of everlasting honour.  For God will show his brightness in you, to every one under heaven."

    We take this as a prophecy of Christ's coming -- for He did, indeed go up to Jerusalem in His last days, and did, indeed, show the brightness of the Father there. Baruch is also talking about the return of Israel from captivity -- the book was written, it says, in Babylon, and sent to Jerusalem.

    Baruch quotes Iasiah -- as does Luke, in his Gospel:  "For God has appointed to bring down every high mountain, and the everlasting rocks, and to fill up the valleys to make them even with the ground: that Israel may walk diligently to the honour of God."  He, like John the Baptist, is "preparing the Way of the Lord."

    The Song of Praise, too, repeats the theme of the outcasts departing in sorrow -- as we departed from the Garden of Eden into the wilderness of sin & error -- along with the joyful return -- as we return, justified in Jesus Christ.

    How wonderful today's Gospel is:

    "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee . . . the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness;  and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

    And the great prophecy of Isaiah:

    "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

    Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

    That phrase has wonderful echos for me -- I was very struck by the 70s musical "Jesus Christ Superstar", which had a wonderful tune for that:  "Preee-Pare Ye! the Way of the Lord!"  The tune is simple enough for me to have memorized it, as musically challenged as I am, and I always get a thrill when I hear it.

And that is precisely what we are called on to do -- prepare the way of the Lord.  We need to prepare ourselves for His coming -- His Incarnation -- in a fortnight or so, and for His coming again in Glory.  We are saved and sanctified, we are "filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God", in Paul's words.

    We are a sinful people, but also a people of hope;  we are cast out of the Garden, but toiling to bring the mundane world back to holiness -- to present it to the Father as our gift of Love, in return for the love he has shown in sending His only-beggoten Son to us,  "...who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven.
And was made flesh by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man."

    And the Latin:

    Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est

    "...incarnatus est..."  "went into flesh" -- the Greek is every bit as graphic: "sarkothenta kai enanthropesanta"  "became meat and went into man".  The co-creator of the Universe:  "di ou ta panta egeneto" -- by whom all things were made -- not respecting His Glory, as Paul said, but humbling himself to become one with a creature -- a creature the Father so loved that He sent His Son to redeem us.

    This is what we await with bated breath, this Advent tide -- this In-Carnation, God coming into flesh to save us!

            In the Name of the Father +
           And of the Son +
           And of the Holy Spirit +

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