Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle C December 9, 2018

First Reading
Baruch 5:1-9
Jerusalem shall see the splendor of God's glory.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6
A song of praise for God's great deeds

Second Reading
Philippians 1:4-6,8-11
Paul prays for the Philippians.

Gospel Reading
Luke 3:1-6
John preaches repentance and baptizes in the region of the Jordan.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."


Background on the Gospel Reading

This week and next, our Gospel readings invite us to consider John the
Baptist and his relationship to Jesus. John the Baptist appears in the
tradition of the great prophets, preaching repentance and reform to the
people of Israel. To affirm this, Luke quotes at length from the prophet
Isaiah. John baptizes for repentance and for forgiveness of sins,
preparing the way for God's salvation.

The three Synoptic Gospels—Mark, Matthew, and Luke—attest to the
importance of the baptism of John in preparing for Jesus. Only the Gospel
of Luke, however, extends the connection between these two men to their
birth. The first two chapters of Luke's Gospel contain the Infancy
Narrative, which tells about the births of John the Baptist and Jesus.
These stories set the stage for the beginning of Jesus' public ministry in
chapter 3.

The evangelist Luke is the author of the Gospel that bears his name, and
he also wrote the Acts of the Apostles as a continuation of the story of
Jesus and the Church. In these two works, Luke's sense of time and history
emerges. He identifies three epochs of salvation history: the time before
Christ, the time of Christ, and the time of the Church and the Holy
Spirit. In today's Gospel reading, as elsewhere, John the Baptist is
presented as the figure who bridges the time before Christ and prepares
the way for Christ's own ministry.

In today's Gospel we also note Luke's attention to political and
historical detail. Luke shows that salvation is for all people and
situated in world events. Therefore, Luke lists the political and
religious leaders at the time of John's appearance in the desert.
Salvation is understood as God's breaking into this political and social
history.

John's preaching of the coming of the Lord is a key theme of the Advent
season. As John's message prepared the way for Jesus, we too are called to
prepare ourselves for Jesus' coming. We respond to John's message by
repentance and reform of our lives. We are also called to be prophets of
Christ, who announce by our lives the coming of the Lord, as John did.


Family Connection

During the season of Advent, we choose to add many activities to our
family's schedule to prepare for our celebration of Christmas. John the
Baptist reminds us that our repentance is another way in which we can
prepare for the Lord's coming and our celebration of Christmas. Parish
communities often offer a communal celebration of the Sacrament of
Reconciliation during the Advent season. Your family might choose to
participate in the communal celebration of the sacrament, or you might
seek out this sacrament on an individual basis.

Read together today's Gospel, Luke 3:1-6. Talk about how John the Baptist
called upon the people to prepare the way of the Lord through repentance.
Together as a family, prepare a simple reconciliation service in
preparation for Christmas. Gather in a prayerful space, perhaps around the
family Advent wreath. Read again from today's Gospel, Luke 3:1-6. Invite
each family member to pray silently, asking God to forgive his or her
sins. Pray together the Act of Contrition. Then celebrate God's
forgiveness by sharing the sign of peace with one another.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings