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Exegesis
December
11, 2005
Third Sunday in Advent
(B)
Sr. Betty Jane Lillie
Is 61:1-2a, 10-11
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Luke 1:46-50,53-54
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1 Thess 5:16-24
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Jn 1:6-8, 19-28
We meet many people on our Advent journey. One of the most striking is John
the Baptist who was not the light, but came to give testimony to the light.
The text goes on, “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming
into the world. (Jn1:8-9)
Our Gospel text refers back to Isaiah 40:3 and associates it
with the Baptist as the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Thus we meet
the prophet known as Second Isaiah on our journey. Again we are put in the
spirit of repentance, so as to make straight the way of the Lord. (Jn 1:23)
This time the religious leadership called for an explanation of why John was
performing an official rite without any kind of official designation from
them. John referred indirectly to his position as precursor. John was
before the one who would come after him.
The Psalm response is taken from Luke’s Gospel and puts us in
touch with the Annunciation of the human birth of Jesus. It thus places
Mary in the forefront of our thoughts as it has her praise God for the great
things he has done for humankind from generation to generation. The prayer
breaks into messianic language in speaking of mercy and well-being for the
lowly and the fulfillment of God’s promises in the events of that historical
time period and continuing forever. We have thus met another companion for
our Advent journey.
We then come to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians in
which he instructs the Christian community to remain blameless at the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The coming to which Paul refers here is the
Second Coming of Jesus for which people need to prepare by holding fast to
what is good and abstaining from every form of evil. (1Thess 5:20-23) The
way to practice a virtuous life is to pray without ceasing so as to be
sanctified by God who is faithful and will bring about what he has
promised. This idea fits well into the context of our preparation for
Christmas, because at all time we need to live a good life. To the new
Christians as well as to us Paul could say, “Rejoice always!” Here we meet
Paul as another person to enrich our Advent journey.
Thus having heard reference to a prophetic messianic oracle
about glad tidings of rescue from oppression to the faithful servants of the
Lord (Hb.: anavim) our thought move to Gospel fulfillment in the
Magnificat and in the Prologue to John’s Gospel. The pre-existent Word who
is God took to himself a human nature so as to live among humankind and walk
and talk with them in the same way that they relate to one another. And the
process continues through all time by the Spirit of Christ that is always
with his members.
There is a
theological thread that ties our readings together. The union of the Lord
with his people is what we call the Mystical Body of Christ. In Him we live
and move and have our being. In the Spirit we exult with Mary for the great
things God has
done for us. This is what we celebrate at Christmas.
Betty Jane Lillie, S.C. |
