Lectio
Divina:*
Meditatio:
“…Prepare the way of the Lord….” (Matthew 3:3)
Commentary:
Hope runs through today’s readings. After a time of ruin for
the Jewish people, Isaiah speaks of renewed leadership and a reign of peace where
the vulnerable are protected. The Psalm echoes this vision with its promise of universal
salvation. Paul, in the second reading, reminds us that salvation is rooted in
Israel but extends to the whole earth. There is continuity from the Old to the
New Testament, with John the Baptist heralding a new order.
John, the cousin of Jesus, points to a new way of life already breaking into our world. He was no ordinary figure. Clothed in camel’s hair with a leather belt, living on locusts and wild honey, he stood apart from the priests of the Temple and the leaders of society. His very presence was a reproach to the norms of his time—yet people flocked to him because his message carried weight and conviction.
As Jesus emerges, John fades into the background, but his
role remains vital—just as Mary’s “yes” made the Gospel possible, John’s
ministry helped make it welcome. He stood out from the religious and political
authorities of his day, and for this he suffered imprisonment and a violent death
(Matthew 14:3–5). Even Herod “feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet.”
John’s preaching was uncompromising
When the Pharisees and Sadducees came for baptism, he
declared:
“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” (Matthew 3:7–8)
This was a direct challenge to religion built on show, power,
and entitlement. True faith, John insisted, is measured by good fruit born of a
loving relationship with God, who is love itself. Repentance means turning decisively
from what is harmful toward what is good and life-giving.
Conversion, for most of us, is not instant but gradual—often
a painful journey of two steps forward, one back. Salvation is found in the peace
and freedom of a life entrusted to God’s providence. Baptism, in this sense, is
not a single moment but a lifelong reality. John’s baptism was a sign and
challenge for his time. The baptism of Jesus, revealed after his death through
the gift of the Holy Spirit, continues today. Millions witness it in a sacramental
beginning, but it does not end there: baptism in the Spirit and in the fire of
God’s love is ongoing until life’s course is complete.
Advent is a season to be refreshed, to rediscover the fruits
of our baptism. It is a time of waiting, but also of openness to change. Change
is always possible—no matter who we are or where we find ourselves.
Oratio:
Collect
of the Word for this Sunday (Church of Ireland)
Almighty God, Give us grace to cast
away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that
on the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the
living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Footnotes
* These readings are
taken from the Sunday lectionary used in most Catholic churches. The source
is BibleGateway.com: A searchable
online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages (using the New
Revised Standard Version - anglicised catholic edition). Psalms in this Blog
are numbered according to the Hebrew (Masoretic) text with the Greek
Septuagint/Vulgate numbering in parenthesis where applicable.
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