07/12/2020
2nd Sunday of Advent
6 December 2020
First reading
Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11
‘Console my people, console them’
says your God.
‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem
and call to her
that her time of service is ended,
that her sin is atoned for,
that she has received from the hand of the Lord
double punishment for all her crimes.’
A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness
a way for the Lord.
Make a straight highway for our God
across the desert.
Let every valley be filled in,
every mountain and hill be laid low.
Let every cliff become a plain,
and the ridges a valley;
then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
and all mankind shall see it;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’
Go up on a high mountain,
joyful messenger to Zion.
Shout with a loud voice,
joyful messenger to Jerusalem.
Shout without fear,
say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God.’
Here is the Lord coming with power,
his arm subduing all things to him.
The prize of his victory is with him,
his trophies all go before him.
He is like a shepherd feeding his flock,
gathering lambs in his arms,
holding them against his breast
and leading to their rest the mother ewes.
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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 84(85):9-14
The response of the Psalm: Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace,
peace for his people.
His help is near for those who fear him
and his glory will dwell in our land.
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.
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Second reading
2 Peter 3:8-14
We are waiting for the new heavens and the new earth
There is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord, ‘a day’ can mean a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but he is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his ways. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up.
Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.
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Gospel
Mark 1:1-8
A voice cries in the wilderness: prepare a way for the Lord
The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:
Look, I am going to send my messenger before you;
he will prepare your way.
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.
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Reflection:
We are now on the Second Sunday of Advent and let us have a quick look at what Advent means. Advent comes from the Latin word "Adventus" which is also derived from the Latin verb "Advenere" which means to come. When someone would say that he/she is coming over in order to visit, basically to show our sign of welcome and hospitality we would try our best to prepare.
In this sense, the idea or the concept of preparation is being stressed out first and foremost in our First reading with the words: "Prepare in the wilderness
a way for the Lord.
Make a straight highway for our God
across the desert.
Let every valley be filled in,
every mountain and hill be laid low.
Let every cliff become a plain,
and the ridges a valley;
then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
and all mankind shall see it;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Moreover, the said concept or idea was further stressed out in our Gospel reading quoting what is written in the book of the Prophet Isaiah and yet in a shorter one as a form of reminder and at the same time a reminder of what was said long ago and found on the book of the same Prophet Isaiah. As we may be able to notice a wide arrayed an ample preparation is being offered to us as we go along the celebration of Advent: the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Penitential Service, and Recollection being based on the theme for Advent Season. However, as we are being invited based on our sets of reading for today and yet let us not also fall short or stop on just preparing but let us also try to consider the second exhortation in our Gospel reading: "... make his paths straight." In this sense, we need to make an action or to actualize everything by making something in our very selves and that is to act on the very conversion of our whole being. In the first reading, we can be able to find the words "Make a straight highway for our God across the desert. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low. Let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley..." Here let us try to look at it because the desert, the filling in of the valley, the mountain and hill to be laid low, making the cliff a plain, and making the ridges a valley were some figurative words symbolizing some form of irregularities. Thus, in this sense, let us all look on our own selves what are the behaviours or attitudes that needs to have a proper polishing or making straight in our very life. Lowering our pride, restoring broken relationships, granting forgiveness and accepting forgiveness, healing of some sort of hurtful memories, and a lot more to mention. These could be things that we can be able to work out. However, this very invitation of conversion or acting on what needs to be worked out in our life is not only to be placed in a periphery of becoming part of our practices this Advent Season but these said invitations and urgings should be the guide and our very guiding principles all throughout the year and all throughout our life. In the second reading, we received these two exhortations: First, "Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come..." Second, "So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace."
Therefore, the invitation is being sent out and continually reverberates in each and every one of us and yet have we tried to respond to them? Are we able to have preparation? Are we also willing to act or to work out on our very flaws, shortcoming and failures in life in order to become a better one? May God bless us all.