Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle B

FIRST READING
Isaiah 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 salvation 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.

GOSPEL READING
John the Baptist preached repentance and baptized the people, in
preparation for the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

GOSPEL MK 1:1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths."
John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
John was clothed in camel's hair,
with a leather belt around his waist.
He fed on locusts and wild honey.
And this is what he proclaimed:
"One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."


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 Jesus' 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 Old Testament books of Malachi, 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 Elijah found in Second Kings. The people of
Judea and Jerusalem flock to him, listening to his message of repentance
and forgiveness; 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 Gospels 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' baptism by John. The
four Gospels also explain that John was sent to preach in preparation
for another. In the Gospel of Luke, 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.

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 sins 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.

FAMILY CONNECTION

The season of Advent invites us to renew our lives in preparation for
the coming of Jesus. The people who heard the message of John the
Baptist repented for their sins and were baptized as a sign of God's
forgiveness. In Baptism, our sins are forgiven, and we receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit, who helps us in our life of discipleship. Led by the
Holy Spirit, we use this Advent season to renew our lives so that we,
like John the Baptist, might prepare the way for Jesus.

As you gather together as a family, talk about ways in which the example
of others has called you to be a follower of Jesus. Name the people who
have been examples to you of Christian discipleship and describe their
characteristics that you have tried to emulate. Read together today's
Gospel, Mark 1:1-8.

As John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, Baptism commissions us
to prepare the way of the Lord. The gift of the Holy Spirit leads us to
continually renew our lives so that we might lead others to Jesus. As a
family, identify at least one action that you will take this week to try
to be more faithful followers of Jesus. Conclude in prayer together that
God will receive this action and use it to lead others to Jesus. Pray
the Prayer to the Holy Spirit.


Sources: Loyola Press;Sunday Readings