Matthew 3:1-12

Isaiah 11:1-10

Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

Romans 15:4-9

Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea

and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:

A voice of one crying out in the desert,

Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.

John wore clothing made of camel’s hair

and had a leather belt around his waist.

His food was locusts and wild honey.

At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,

and the whole region around the Jordan

were going out to him

and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River

as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees

coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.

And do not presume to say to yourselves,

‘We have Abraham as our father.’

For I tell you,

God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.

Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit

will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,

but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.

I am not worthy to carry his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fan is in his hand.

He will clear his threshing floor

and gather his wheat into his barn,

but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am your child. I have been washed in the waters of Baptism and now share in your divine life. This is a tremendous gift. I thank you for it and will work with it to produce good fruit.

Encountering the Word of God

1. John the Baptist Appeared: Just as John the Baptist prepared the people of Judah and Jerusalem for the first coming of Jesus in humility, so also he can prepare us for the second coming of Jesus in glory. John is preaching in the desert, bringing the people out into the wilderness to prepare them for the coming of the Lord. At the time, there was a great expectation that the Messiah, promised by the prophet Daniel, would appear. Some people thought that John the Baptist was the Messiah, but he quickly pointed out that there is someone else coming, someone mighty. The first word we hear from John is “Repent!” This is a call not only to conversion from sin to a life turned toward God, but also an invitation to change our mindset. It is a call to adopt a new strategy, the strategic plan of salvation of our Lord. The people longed for liberation and deliverance. While they wanted to be freed from Roman rule, their deepest longing was to be freed from the power of sin. The oppressive reign of the devil is coming to an end; the Kingdom of Heaven is about to be inaugurated on earth by the Mighty One. Baptism by the purifying and sanctifying Holy Spirit is coming. How do I need to change my mindset? What have I been strategically focused on? What does God’s plan for my life look like? 

2. The Gentiles will Seek Out the Root of Jesse: In the First Reading, the prophet Isaiah envisions a shoot sprouting from the stump of Jesse. This is an image of the Kingdom of David. Jesse was the father of King David, and David’s Kingdom lasted for four hundred years until it was cut down by the Babylonians. All that remained of the olive tree of David’s Kingdom was a stump. But olive trees are resilient. Shoots can sprout from an olive tree stump, and this is what Isaiah promises. One day, there will be a royal descendant of David, and the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him. He will be a wise and righteous king. He will rule with justice, helping the poor and afflicted, disciplining the ruthless, and destroying the wicked. This royal son will bring about a new creation, and the earth will be filled with “knowledge of the Lord.” On that day, the Gentiles will seek out this king and enter into his glorious dwelling. All of this has come to pass. Jesus is the royal Messiah, who has established justice, vanquished the evil one, and inaugurated the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. All peoples are called to seek out and dwell in this Kingdom. How can I seek out Jesus, my king, this Advent season? 

3. Welcome One Another: In the Second Reading, Paul is finishing up his Letter to the Romans. He references the Old Testament and how it was written for instruction and to give the people of God hope. These hopes were fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Now, one of the reasons Paul wrote to the Romans was to help them overcome growing divisions within the Christian community. He has just pointed out the difference between the weak and the strong, between those who follow Judaism’s liturgical calendar and those who do not. “Disciples must not shut one another out over differences of opinion. After all, the Messiah, whose actions are the standard of all Christian conduct, gave his life in sacrifice to gather all – the weak no less than the strong, the Gentiles no less than the Jews – into the communion of God’s family” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 262-263). That is why Paul ends his letter with an appeal: “Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). He alludes to the focus of Jesus’ public and earthly ministry: “Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the Patriarchs.” Jesus fulfilled all three promises made to Abraham. Abraham was promised a land and a nation, and Jesus has opened the way to the heavenly Promised Land and initiated the regathering of the twelve tribes of Israel. Abraham was promised a royal dynasty, and Jesus, the royal descendant of David and the branch from the stump of Jesse, has established the Kingdom that will last forever. Finally, Abraham was promised a universal blessing not just for his physical descendants, but for all the families and nations of the earth, and Jesus has unleashed this blessing of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit from the Cross. How can I welcome others into the communion of God’s family?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you took up your cousin John’s call to repentance. You bring the Kingdom of Heaven and approach us in humility. You ask us to convert from the mentality of the world to your mentality and to see things from your point of view. You see a fallen world, loved by the Father, and now redeemed through your sacrifice. Help me to adopt your thoughts and sentiments, and to clothe myself with your sonship.

Living the Word of God: How can I follow Saint Paul’s admonition: “Welcome one another!”? When do I foster division by concentrating on lesser opinions about things? How can I work for a deeper communion among believers? How can I respond to John the Baptist’s call to repentance this Advent season? Where do I need to change my mindset?