On this Second Sunday of Advent, we are serious in our desire to grow in our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We share a Franciscan Gospel reflection and questions written by Fr. Paul Gallagher, OFM. They are edited by Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Anne Marie Lom and Joe Thiel. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by Joe Thiel. To read or download the complete pdf with excerpts for your prayer, please click here: Franciscan Gospel Reflection December 2 2018. Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Please include this information when printing.
Photos: St. Francis Chapel, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”
Background
The first two verses of the gospel text ground the gospel in the civil and religious history of the day. Luke states that the events he records in his gospel took place at a particular time in the events of the world. Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanias and even Annas and Caiaphas were all leaders who were associated with dark periods in their history rather than any sense of deliverance. Luke has deliberately placed John’s ministry (and Jesus’) within the context of these world events.
Luke also includes details that place these events in the context of the community’s understanding of their relationship as the chosen people of God. Naming the Jordan River as the place where John was baptizing (verse 3) would link John’s baptism with their ancestors’ wandering in the desert. The Jordan River was crossed as they entered the Promised Land, and it became a symbol of their entrance to a new life. Luke also reminds his community that John is the son of Zechariah and therefore a member of the priestly family, which is typically associated with the temple in Jerusalem. To find John in the desert baptizing would be an oddity and would arouse curiosity.
While the ritual of baptizing that John used is not described, it is understood as an expression of repentance or conversion. In this context, the Jordan River carries the symbol of preparing for a new way of living. This new way of living is given an eschatological character, which is reinforced by reference to the prophet Isaiah. The prophet describes the glorious coming of the Lord when he will be revealed to all. “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.” (Isaiah 40:1-4)
Although these events took place in a remote and unimportant part of the world, Luke suggests that these events have a significance beyond what is apparent. They will impact all people and all of creation.
Reflection Questions
1. What do you know about the circumstances of your family, the world, and the church at the time when you were born?
2. When you think of the significant people and events of your life…
3. Why might people of the day travel out into the desert and be baptized as an expression of their willingness to repent and change their lives?
4. When you think of repentance in your life…
5. Have there been times in your life when repentance and forgiveness were more important or less important to you?
6. When you consider John’s role in his place and time…
7. Can you speak with God now about how this text asks you to look at your life, or the world around you, or about how waiting can be an instrument of God’s desire?
