Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
Today's Mass Readings
“The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and of great kindness” (Ps. 145:8). This is our response for today’s psalm, and it encapsulates one of the themes of Advent, namely God’s merciful gift in his Son Jesus, who will come to us as an infant at Christmas and who will come again at the end to claim all who belong to his kingdom. In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, we get a sense of how God reaches out to his people, despite (and even because of) their sinfulness. Isaiah refers to the people as “worm” and “maggot” – not very flattering names, but rather names that identify the sinfulness of this people and the need for their redemption. “I will help you, says the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,” (Is. 41:14). The rest of this beautiful passage describes the redemption brought by the Holy One of Israel. Our Christian interpretation of this Old Testament passage is that it refers to Jesus, whose birth and life among us makes all things new in a true and authentic transformation.
The Jewish people understood that the coming of the Messiah would be marked by the return of Elijah, the great Jewish prophet who was taken away into heaven. Israel’s redemption would be foretold by the return of genuine prophecy in Israel.
In today’s gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus tells his listeners that John the Baptist IS Elijah. John the Baptist is a key figure for us throughout Advent because we see him as leading the way for Jesus by proclaiming his coming, precisely as the new Elijah who marks the coming of the Messiah. Today’s gospel reading also demonstrates the great kindness of God who, in redeeming us, calls us all to participate in his kingdom. Although, as Jesus says, there is none greater than John the Baptist, the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than John (Mt. 11:11). John the Baptist is an important person who performed the crucial role of being the forerunner to Jesus, and yet, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection out of love for us make it possible for all of us to share in his redemption.
Like the worm Jacob and the maggot Israel, we too are a sinful people. Yet this season of Advent is one in which we despair not of our failings, but wait with joyful expectation for the birth of our Messiah who will redeem us and who will return for us in the end. Even now, we have the opportunity to participate in his Kingdom. He has made it ours, given it freely to us, and our only task is to receive it as a gift.
Today, let us take the opportunity to open our very lives to the grace of God, remembering that he is slow to anger and full of great kindness. Let us try to identify one way in which we might be more receptive to Jesus coming into our lives. May we not shirk from John the Baptist’s message but rejoice in the opportunity to share in the Kingdom!
- Maria Morrow