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Commentary

Sunday, 12/1/2019, First Sunday of Advent

A Vision of Peace

First Reading Commentary: Isaiah 2:1-5

This prophecy comes from Isaiah very early in his ministry as a prophet and is about the future of Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah sees the Lord’s house situated on the highest mountain, Zion, and it is from there that instruction will be given on how to follow the way of the LORD.

It is important to remember that this prophecy is made during the end of the Divided Kingdom era before Israel’s fall to Assyria in 722 BC. Isaiah is talking to the people of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, about what he sees—the New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of Heaven on the last day.

Everything that Isaiah sees is in the book of Revelation which will come-to-pass on the last day. He sees Christ the King who will judge all of mankind. He sees the people who will enjoy eternal life with the LORD going up to the Kingdom. And, Isaiah sees the peace and joy of the Kingdom which allows him to visualize an end to all wars.

Isaiah talks about the things that are happening in his vision but he does not give a description of the LORD’s house. This reminds us that in Revelation, we are told that there is no temple building in the Kingdom. There is no need for one because the Father and the Son are the temple.

Isaiah knows that what he sees is the coming of the LORD but he does not see the birth of a newborn king who will sit on a throne here on earth. Instead, he sees the King in heaven who will judge the earth and bring eternal peace and happiness.

What Isaiah sees is the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the fact that Isaiah does not see someone seated at an earthly throne is a prophecy to the humble life that Christ would live. It is sad that this part of the prophecy was missed by so many who were looking for a worldly king.

The prophecy of eternal peace and happiness from Isaiah is something for all of us to look forward to. And so, we should follow the instruction that Isaiah gives in his prayer, “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!”

Put on the Lord

Second Reading Commentary: Romans 13:11-14

St. Paul tells us to get ready for the coming of the Lord. He tells us to wake up for salvation is nearer than we first believed and the day is at hand. Remember that during the very early days of the Church, people believed that the second coming of Christ was eminent and that it would occur during their lifetime. This is one of the reasons why Paul expresses urgency in his message to the Romans. But the more important message is that we should make ourselves ready because in, reality we know not the hour or the day.

Paul tells us to give up our bad habits and evil ways when he says, “…throw off the works of darkness…” He tells us to give up the sins of the world and our desires of the flesh that will lead us down the path of destruction.

We find it easy to say that we will make ourselves ready or at least, it is easy to say that we want to make ourselves ready by letting go of sin. But that part about giving up the desires of the flesh—well now that is another matter even though the desires of the flesh are very sinful when our intentions are misled.

That is something that none of us are one hundred percent ready to do and furthermore, we do not give up those desires. If we did, we would not sin. In fact, just the thought of giving up our desires of the flesh will sometimes cause us to experience agony. That’s an interesting thought. Remember Jesus having His Agony in the Garden and saying to Peter, “Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38

We are tested every day. When tested, we should try to follow Paul’s advice: “…put on the armor of light…put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul is telling us to be ready for the second coming of Christ by not allowing ourselves to die in sin. It is a warning that if we are in sin, we need to repent.

We cannot assume that because Christ went to the cross for us that we are saved. We cannot assume that because we go to church that we are saved. We are saved because we choose to be saved and that choice is expressed in the way that we live our lives. No matter how much we may say that we are saved, if we live our lives in a state of self-righteous pride, drunkenness, promiscuity, rivalry, and jealousy; we are choosing something very different from salvation.

There are two ways that I look at salvation. There is the salvation of all mankind which will be fulfilled on the last day when Jesus comes to lead us into His Kingdom. Then, there is personal salvation which is in the present. As I said, it is expressed in the way that we live our lives. If we obey the Greatest Commandments, we obey all, of the Commandments and when we do that, we have put on the Lord and we are ready for Him to come again no matter when that may be because we are truly saved.

Be Ready for Immediate Action

Gospel Commentary: Matthew 24:37-44

Jesus made a comparison to the days of Noah making the point that in those days, the people were consumed with sin so God performed an act of cleansing with His wrath. But Jesus was really talking about His second coming on the last day and the message was: to be ready.

Jesus was talking to His disciples but the message is the same for us. Jesus does not want any of us to be like the people of Noah’s time who were not ready for the unknown hour because He does not want us to suffer a fate of eternal damnation.

To make His point, Jesus gave the example of two men in the field and of two women grinding at the mill. In each case, one was ready and taken but the other was not ready and left behind. Jesus said, “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”

Jesus also gave an example of a master who stays awake to guard his house from the thief who will come at an unknown hour and said, “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

If you catch a thief breaking into your house, you do not have time to think about what you should do. You must take immediate action. We are being told, by Jesus, to be ready for His second coming, prepared to follow Him without having to think about it. When Jesus comes again, His judgment will be swift and we will not have time to get ready—we won’t even have time to think about it. We will either, be ready and follow Him into the Kingdom or we will be left behind.

We know that when Jesus comes again, those who have their names written in the book of life will be raised. That is because of the covenant that Jesus made with us promising the Kingdom of Heaven in His Sermon on the Mount.

But hold that thought. A covenant is a binding contract between two parties and Jesus is reminding us that we are the other party in His covenant and we have, to honor our part or we will be doomed. We honor our part of the covenant by being ready for the second coming of Jesus and we make ourselves ready by taking the advice of Paul in today’s second reading.

If we falter, and we all will because we all sin, then we must confess and repent. The bottom line is that God has done everything that He can do for us to be with Him in the Kingdom except to make our minds up for us. We have, to do everything that we can do to get there which means that we have to make the decision to be in the Kingdom.

Reading 1          Isaiah 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come, the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Responsorial Psalm          Psalm 122:1-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me, “We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls, prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Because of my brothers and friends I will say, “Peace be within you!”
Because of the house of the LORD, our God, I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Reading 2          Romans 13:11-14

Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Gospel          Matthew 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Wear the mask!
Wash your hands!
Maintain social distancing!
Pray for our leadership!

Get the vaccine!

The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Paragraph 767 "When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church."174 Then "the Church was openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the nations, through preaching, was begun."175 As the "convocation" of all men for salvation, the Church in her very nature is missionary, sent by Christ to all the nations to make disciples of them.176

The Holy Spirit came to Mary and the Apostles as tongues of fire.

Saint of the Day

Bl. Charles de Foucauld
(9/15/1858 – 12/1/1916)

Isaiah prayed, "Let us walk in the light of the LORD!"

What time is it? According to Paul, it is time to wake up and put on the light of Christ so that we can live (be in Heaven).

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Show us Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

We have no idea of the hour or the day when Jesus will come for us and if we are not ready, we will be denied entry into heaven.

Saints of the Week

Bl. Rafal Chylinski
12/2/2019
(1/8/1694 - 12/2/1741)

Saint Francis Xavier
12/3/2019

(4/7/1506 – 12/3/1552)
Patron Saint of: Japan,
Jewelers & Missions

St. John Damascene
12/4/2019

(c. 676 - 749)

St. Sabas
12/5/2019

(439 - 12/5/532)

St. Nicholas
12/6/2019
(3/16/270 – 12/6/343)
Patron Saint of: Bakers,
Brides, Grooms, Children, Greece,
Pawnbrokers & Travelers

St. Ambrose
12/7/2019
(337 – April 4, 397)
Patron Saint of: Bee keepers,
Beggars, Learning & Milan

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