SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, December 10, 2023
(Isaiah 40:1-5.9-11; II Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8)
The author of the first reading today is said to be one of the most
brilliant prophets in the history of Israel. Ironically, however, his name is
not known. He is called “Second Isaiah” because his work has been included with
that of the prophet Isaiah of Jerusalem in the scrolls of the Hebrew
Scriptures. Second Isaiah wrote from Babylon where thousands of Jews were
exiled in the sixth century BC.
The Jews suffered there, but not so much materially as spiritually. They
felt alienation in a pagan country, more than a thousand kilometers from their
native land. They could not practice their religion openly. Nor did they have
the Temple where they could offer sacrifices asking for forgiveness of their
sins and other favors from God.
The reading begins with God saying that the Jewish people have suffered
enough for their sins that led them into exile. He wants them to prepare now to
return to Judah. There is a second announcement of good news in the reading,
but this time it is for the inhabitants of Judah. They too have suffered
greatly from the invasion of the Babylonians. In addition to the devastation of
being conquered, they have lost loved ones taken into exile and have seen the
Temple destroyed. The message for them is to wait for God who will come soon
with great compassion. He will treat them like a shepherd who feeds and
protects his flock.
Like Second Isaiah, the evangelist Mark has good news for the people. He
is beginning the story of Jesus Christ, the “Son of God,” who will save
humanity from the foolishness of sin. Jesus arrives in a time of alienation.
(This word means that people feel unimportant and isolated from others.) In
Israel in the middle of the first century, alienation is rooted in the many
customs of the Pharisees who create the idea that God is a rigid taskmaster,
not a loving Father.
John the Baptist also has good news for the Jewish people. He lives in
the desert with only basic resources, but close to God. He says that there is
one bearing the Spirit of God who will come soon to overcome alienation. He
does not name him but recognizes him as so superior to him that he is not
worthy to untie his sandal. Although we know him as Jesus Christ, people who
turn to John in the desert are left in suspense.
Jesus will resolve the alienation in Israel in the first century and
also in our time. Nowadays with social media well established, many suffer from
the lack of human warmth. They find themselves at home looking for virtual
“friends” on Facebook or comparing themselves to others on Instagram. These
vain searches often result in feelings of loneliness, doubt, and inferiority.
Practitioners often experience thoughts of suicide. Through his death on the
cross that redeems the world, Jesus will show the love of the Father.
The world has not yet learned that wealth, pleasure, and fame do not
produce happiness. Rather, after giving a few moments of satisfaction, these
values leave us with more and more desires, more needs. What really makes us
happy are the security of our family, the support of our friends, and the consolation
of our faith. For this reason, the inhabitants of Utah and South Dakota, where
faith is widely practiced and people live with their families, are among the
happiest people in the United States.
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