A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 5, n. 2)
2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C – December 10, 2006
“A Song of Salvation”
BIBLE READINGS
Bar 5:1-9 // Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 // Lk 3:1-6
N.B. Series 5 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year C from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year C, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 2.
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
One of the priests who had helped me discern my religious vocation was a Franciscan Capuchin missionary from Goa, India who was assigned in the Sacred Heart Parish in Sta. Mesa, Manila where I grew up. Fr David Alexis Felinto wrote the letter of recommendation when I made my application to enter the convent. Fifteen years later he was thrilled to know that I would be in India as a PDDM missionary. He invited me to go to scenic Goa to meet his family and visit their friary there, where he had been reassigned. From Bombay (Mumbai), I went with some of his family members on a bus trip that took us through a fascinating tropical landscape. When we were about to enter Goa, famed for its beautiful beaches and lush vegetation, the passengers who were traveling with us – many of them workers returning from the Gulf countries – started to clap their hands and broke into a beautiful rhythmic song of joy and jubilation. After difficult years of life abroad, the returning workers with their families were extremely grateful and enthusiastic to be home.
The vibrant song that I heard on the way to Goa gives me an idea of the jubilant character of the poetry reported today in the First Reading from the Book of Baruch (5:1-9). The lyrical text we hear on this Second Sunday of Advent is a jubilant poem celebrating the return of the suffering exiles to their homeland. The poetic oracle from the Book of Baruch, which offered hope to the exiles in the God whose glory would one day lead them home, has the power, beauty and images of a song of salvation that transcends the limits of time.
The Book of Baruch was not written by him, but was merely attributed to him. Whereas the poem seems to predict the return from the Babylonian exile in 538 B.C., the reference was symbolic of the future re-establishment of the new Israel at the end-time when God would come to restore all creation in his kingdom. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly comments: “Who in the world is Baruch? The question is not surprising. Readings from the book attributed to him occur only on the Easter Vigil and on this Sunday of Cycle C. Biblical scholars would give high marks to the historical figure known as Baruch, Jeremiah’s secretary; he twice wrote down the oracles of the prophet. The second draft was necessary after the king of Judah had destroyed the first one. Had it not been for Baruch’s diligence, the world might well have been deprived of some of its most moving religious literature. The book of Baruch is another matter. It was almost certainly not written by Jeremiah’s secretary. Rather, it seems to have emerged from the somewhat turbulent era before the coming of Jesus Christ. That it was attributed to Baruch is testimony to the esteem in which he was held. But there is more than that. The author (or authors) doubtless saw the contemporary scene as a reflection of the age of Jeremiah. There were threats from without and from within. A new Baruch was needed to record the prophetic message, warning the people of their sins and encouraging them with oracles of hope. The book does just that.”
Probably composed in Alexandria around 200 B.C., the anonymous author(s) endeavored to give a vision of hope and optimism to the Jews living there who had a problem keeping their faith. From the Christian point of view, however, the oracle of hope and song of salvation in the Book of Baruch serve as an impelling vision of the coming of God in the fullness of time, in his Son Jesus Christ. Lawrence Mick explains: “The author paints a picture of a triumphant return marked by miraculous wonders. The exiles, who had been led away on foot and in chains, are carried back on portable thrones. Their path is miraculously leveled so that they have a smooth journey, and whole forests spring up in the desert to provide shade for them. The description so far exceeds the reality of the actual return that it naturally came to be seen as a prophecy of the ultimate redemption of God’s people in the future. Thus it serves for us today as a vision of the coming of God’s kingdom in its fullness. What is described here has begun in Jesus, but we await with hope the full realization of God’s will for his chosen people.”
Against the backdrop of the poetic oracle of the returning exiles in the Book of Baruch, which sings of the eschatological renewal of a suffering people, today’s Gospel episode (Lk 3:1-6) reinforces even more the vision of new life and total salvation brought about by the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Advent song par excellence, “All creation shall see the salvation of God”, will become a lived personal reality only if we are willing to heed the call of John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus and make straight his paths. Whereas in the Book of Baruch passage it is God who is leveling the terrain for his people returning from exile, in this Sunday’s Gospel the challenge of spiritual construction and reconstruction is addressed to us. The appeal of this Advent season is to convert the terrain of our hostile, haughty and proud hearts. There are many mountains and hills, many valleys and gorges deep within us that need to be shaped and reshaped. We need to restructure them lest they become obstacles to the advent of Jesus in our lives – the coming of Jesus the true Way that leads home to the Father.
In this Advent season, let us carry out the following resolutions suggested by Harold Buetow: “Let us pray that we may be willing to have the crooked paths in our lives straightened and the valleys and hills of our selfish desires leveled. Let us join more fervently in the prayer after the Lord’s Prayer that we say with optimism at every Eucharist – that we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That Advent optimism should be realistic … In our reflections, we ought to take into account not only our major sins, but also our personal dispositions that may be causing them: the laziness that prevents us from doing kind acts, the resentment toward another that blocks communication, the fear that forces us to compromise our principles, the pride which precludes true regard for others, the social sins of prejudice and intolerance that can destroy a society.”
PERSONAL REFLECTION
By Rev. Fr. Tim Cardoza
Pastor: Parish of Mary Queen of Apostles
Fresno, CA-U.S.A.
Already it seems pretty obvious that Christmas is well on the way. Even before Thanksgiving arrived stores downtown were decorated in their Christmas finery. Radio and T.V. commercials have been telling us to do our holiday shopping early so that we will be well prepared for Christmas. Many of us have followed their advice and already have all our Christmas shopping done. Maybe we’ve been preparing for Christmas since last December 26th. Yes, it’s pretty obvious that we as a whole are well prepared for Christmas – or maybe I should say we are well prepared for Dec. 25. But I wonder, “Are we prepared for the real meaning of Christmas – the birth of our Lord and Savior.”
How wise the Church is to observe the holy season of Advent throughout the ages. The Church in her wisdom knows that we human beings need time to prepare for major events in our lives. Short of Easter Sunday, it’s hard to imagine any other day of greater significance than the moment when Jesus Christ, Son of God, also became Son of Mary. This is an event that we can’t spend enough time meditating upon.
Today is a perfect day for us to ask ourselves – how prepared are we for the coming of Jesus Christ? This question has implications concerning not only Christmas day but also that moment in time when Christ will come again bringing justice and redemption to all of creation. This is what the season of Advent is all about. It’s a time when we once again prepare ourselves both as individuals and as a people, the Church, for the coming of our Lord and Savior. But living in the world it’s hard not to allow the world to affect the way we perceive things – even a holiday as holy as Christmas.
One of the saddest things for me to hear personally is a Christian - a Catholic man or woman – say that they dislike this time of year. They hate the traffic; they hate the shopping crowds, or whatever. Whenever I hear this I can’t help wonder if Christmas for that individual has just become a very unpleasant time of year that simply must be endured. Now more than ever we need this holy season of Advent. Because now more than ever we need to put Christ back into Christmas. But how?
Christmas is the celebration of a little child and if we have to rediscover the meaning of Christmas, then let us ask a child. I don’t think we’re going to find a child around the world who would say that he hates Christmas. Children love Christmas. And if you ask them why they’ll tell you – it’s because this is the time to receive gifts from those who love us. And that is so true. Christmas is the day when we, the human race and as individuals, uniquely loved by God, received the greatest gift of all – Jesus Christ, Son of God and savior of all. His birth is the culmination of human history. His coming fulfilled the past and now gives meaning to the future. Christmas day is the day we receive the Lord once again as a little child.
Cognizant of the great implications of Christ’s birth, let us zealously spend this season of Advent preparing for the coming of the greatest gift the Father could give us. Advent calls us to preparation. Today in the gospel we hear St. John the Baptist cry out, “Prepare the way of the Lord”. There are so many ways we can do this. One way is to spend a little more time in prayer – reflecting on the imminent birth of the Savior. Another excellent way is to come to the Sacrament of Penance. As we confess we rid ourselves of the sinful baggage we have been carrying and thus make a home once again for our Lord. Also we can concentrate our energies on doing works of charity – helping the poor, being kind to those around us. We can even view that awful traffic and those holiday crowds as physical signs that people are busy selecting gifts of love in imitation of Him who already gave us so perfect a gift.
Let us open our hearts to the grace of this holy season of Advent. Let us look toward Christmas through the eyes of a child. Let us prepare ourselves well for the advent of our God and perhaps if we prepare ourselves well enough, we will not only put Christ back into Christmas, we might even carry him with us the whole year through.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
A. What are some of our experiences of desolation and consolation? How does the text from the Book of Baruch impinge on our human experience? How does the prophetic vision of great triumph and splendor of the returning exiles affect us? Do we believe with faith and trust that God is leading us on the way to salvation?
B. Do we look to Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophetic oracle, “For God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory …”? Do we regard Jesus as the architect of reunification of all nations, coming from the fours corners of the earth, whose nativity at Bethlehem we celebrate and whose coming at the end time we await?
C. Do we realize with gratitude that God has been leading us to a glorious return, leveling mountains and filling up valleys, to hasten and facilitate our return to the heavenly Jerusalem, our true home? How do we respond to the Advent challenge proclaimed and resounded by John the Baptist from the prophet Isaiah: “ Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths … all flesh shall see the salvation of God”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
(Adapted from a prayer by D. Rimaud, cf. Days of the Lord, vol. 1)
Leader: Leave your sorrows and tears,
put on your garments of joy:
The one who is coming
comes on the clouds!
The love of God guides us;
his glory is our light:
The one who is coming
comes victorious!
Why do you not hasten
toward the day of your God?
The one who is coming
comes for our joy!
Prepare his way;
accept his pardon;
each of us will see the grace of our God
on the day of judgment!
Assembly: Happy the one who believed
that one day would be fulfilled
the words of our God
for all men whom he loves.
Behold, the times are come
when the Lord of justice
will fulfill his promise of Peace
for all men whom he loves.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Lk 3:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
A. ACTION PLAN: Pray that the oracle of hope and vision of salvation announced by the prophets become a lived reality. Let us resolve to straighten the crooked paths of our life and level the hills of our selfish desires that are inimical to personal and community growth. Let us contribute to the coming of the kingdom of God by responding with fraternal solicitude to the many forms of poverty present in our world.
B. ACTION PLAN: To help us contemplate more deeply the implication of the advent of Jesus who enables “all flesh to see the salvation of God”, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 3, n. 2): A Weekly Pastoral Tool.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US