TODAY’S READINGS
The first reading is from Is 61:1-2A, 10-11 . A Servant Song of the prophet in the first person.
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me (v. 1a)
“Prophets, priests, and kings were anointed in ancient Israel. The Servant is probably all three. The combination of anointing and the reception of the Spirit calls to mind the figure of David, who was filled with the Spirit when Samuel anointed him in in 1 Samuel 16. David, too, was prophet (2 Sam 23:1-2), priest (Ps 110), and king.” (John Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year B [Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Road, 2021], 22)
The Responsorial Psalm is from Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54. Not from the book of Psalms at all, but in the same spirit, the words of Our Lady to Elizabeth (and to the whole world for all time).
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy. (vv. 53-54)
“Here we see Mary is adopting the attitude and posture of the ‘Servant of the LORD’ in Isaiah 61:1-2. How can she do this? Isn’t the ‘servant of the Lord’ Jesus himself? Yes, but the Blessed Mother has Jesus in her womb. She is the first Christian, the first person to be united as one flesh with Jesus. What is true of Jesus is true of her by extension. She is taken up into the Messianic mission of Christ, to ‘proclaim good news…and liberty’ (Isa 61:1) and to find in God the ‘joy of her soul.’ (Isa 61:10). Mary speaks as if God has already established ‘justice’ (Isa 61:11) through his Messiah: filling the oppressed ‘hungry’ with good things (think of the feeding miracles) and sending the rich oppressors away empty (think of the rich young ruler in Matt 19:22). (ibid, 25)
The second reading is from 1 Thes 5:16-24. It directly addresses the theme for this Third Sunday of Advent: Gaudete! Rejoice!
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 23)
“Following Christ means not just believing but actually being transformed, becoming ‘blameless’ so we can stand at the final judgment. This calls to mind Advent’s dual focus on both the First and Second Coming of Jesus. We want to keep our sight on both horizons. Waiting for the liturgical coming of Christ (Christmas) recalls his First Coming and looks forward to his Second.” (ibid, 27)
Last, but certainly not least, is today’s Gospel. Our preparation for Christmas focuses on the ultimate preparer, John the Baptist.
[The priests and Levites] asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as Isaiah the prophet said.” (vv. 21-23)
“There were at least three figures the Judeans expected to come at the end of the age:
- The Messiah or ‘Anointed One’ predicted by the prophets (see Isa 61, Dan 9, etc.);
- Elijah himself, whom Malachi prophesied would return before the ‘day of the LORD’ (Mal 4:5, RSVCE; and
- ‘The Prophet,’ that is, the prophet like Moses, whom Moses predicted would come someday (see Deut 18:15-22)…
“‘I’m none of these,’ John says. Who is he, then? ’I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness…’ This is a quote from Isaiah 40, a famous chapter that serves as an introduction to the long vision of the age of the Messiah that is Isaiah 40-66. So, John is an introduction incarnate, a prologue in person, a foreword in the flesh.” (ibid, 28-29)
You may have noticed that all commentary was taken from Dr. Bergsma’s outstanding series, The Word of the Lord. I worked through Year A for the liturgical year recently completed and am now keeping up with the readings for our current cycle. I have mentioned this set of books previously, here: the four-volume set contains commentary on every Sunday, solemnity, and feast day over the three year cycle of readings implemented after Vatican II. Certainly, this should be in every Christian rectory and religious house or institution. But, also, serious Catholics would do well to have these books handy for weekly preparation and/or follow-up to weekend and holy day Mass.
Today’s exposition was particularly outstanding, so I though it a great time to highlight some of his key insights (there is much more for this Sunday and every Sunday in the book). Yes, we are to rejoice in so great a savior. And we can also rejoice in the faithful witnesses, like John Bergsma, who cooperate with His grace to edify and enlighten the faithful.
Please check out his weekly conversation with Dr. Scott Hahn here (a small fee but definitely worth every penny and more).
My big takeaway: Per Jesus, “among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11). Pious tradition has it that John was consecrated in the womb when he leaped there after he and his mother encountered Mary (and Jesus in her womb). Yet, John says in today’s Gospel, “the one who is coming after me [is one] whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie” (Jn 1:27). If this greatest of human persons puts himself in that position, where does that leave us? Humility must be our default position.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Speaking of Dr. John Bergsma, I finally cracked open a book of his that’s been on my shelf probably since it came out four years ago: Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revelating the Jewish Roots of Christianity. Bergsma is an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and often invokes his knowledge of these famous documents to enlighten his readers and listeners on now the knowledge we get from these works contemporaneous to Jesus give us a better understanding of the times, customs, and biblical figures of the New Testament, particularly John the Baptist. So I felt compelled to dive in today. I have found it difficult to put down. Endlessly fascinating and highly recommended. If our homilists were to consult works like this to enhance their preaching, they would have more than a few congregants riveted. The Bible is exciting and interesting! Would it be that more Christians of all stripes encounter the word of God in this way.
PODCAST RECOMMENDATION
My friend, Dr. Jim Papandrea, has recently taken over The Way of the Fathers from my friend Mike Aquilina. An interesting, informative, and fun way to dive into early Church history. Keep up and/or check out the archives here.
SUBSTACK RECOMMENDATION
I just discovered that my friend, Quanah Jeffries, has started a substack called “Living Theology.” A deeply faithful and erudite man, his insights are always interesting. Check it out here (you can subscribe to substack for free if not already a member).
God bless.
Baptism of Christ by Perugino (1482)
Unworthy Servant 