Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 5-Dec-2021: Second Sunday of Advent

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Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 3

3:1–2

1. Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,

2. Annas and Caiaphas being the High Priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

GREGORY. (Hom. 20. in Ev.) The time at which the forerunner of the Saviour received the word of preaching, is marked by the names of the Roman sovereign and of the princes of Judæa, as it follows: Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, &c. For because John came to preach Him who was to redeem some from among the Jews, and many among the Gentiles, therefore the time of his preaching is marked out by making mention of the king of the Gentiles and the rulers of the Jews. But because all nations were to be gathered together in one, one man is described as ruling over the Roman state, as it is said, The reign of Tiberius Cæsar.

GREEK EXPOSITOR. (Metaphrastes) For the emperor Augustus being dead, from whom the Roman sovereigns obtained the name of “Augustus,” Tiberius being his successor in the monarchy, was now in the 15th year of his receiving the reins of government.

ORIGEN. In the word of prophecy, spoken to the Jews alone, the Jewish kingdom only is mentioned, as, The vision of Esaias, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (Is. 1:1.) But in the Gospel which was to be proclaimed to the whole world, the empire of Tiberius Cæsar is mentioned, who seemed the lord of the whole world. But if the Gentiles only were to be saved, it were sufficient to make mention only of Tiberius, but because the Jews also must believe, the Jewish kingdom therefore, or Tetrarchies, are also introduced, as it follows, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod tetrarch, &c.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) Because the Jews were to be scattered for their crime of treachery, the Jewish kingdom was shut up into parts under several governors. According to that saying, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. (Luke 11:17.)

BEDE. Pilate was sent in the twelfth year of Tiberius to take the government of the Jewish nation, and remained there for ten successive years, almost until the death of Tiberius. But Herod, and Philip, and Lysanias, were the sons of that Herod in whose reign our Lord was born. Between these and Herod himself Archelaus their brother reigned ten years. He was accused by the Jews before Augustus, and perished in exile at Vienne. But in order to reduce the Jewish kingdom to greater weakness, August us divided it into Tetrarchies.

GREGORY. Because John preached Him who was to be at the same time both King and Priest, Luke the Evangelist has marked the time of that preaching by the mention not only of Kings, but also of Priests. As it follows, Under the High Priests Annas and Caiaphas.

BEDE. Both Annas and Caiaphas, when John began his preaching, were the High Priests, but Annas held the office that year, Caiaphas the same year in which our Lord suffered on the cross. Three others had held the office in the intervening time, but these two, as having particular reference to our Lord’s Passion, are mentioned by the Evangelist. For at that time of violence and intrigue, the commands of the Law being no longer in force, the honour of the High Priest’s office was never given to merit or high birth, but the whole affairs of the Priesthood were managed by the Roman power. For Josephus relates, that Valerius Gratus, when Annas was thrust out of the Priesthood, appointed Ismael High Priest, the son of Baphas; but not long after casting him off, he put in his place Eleazar the son of the High Priest Ananias. After the space of one year, he expelled him also from the office, and delivered the government of the High Priesthood to a certain Simon, son of Caiaphas, who holding it not longer than a year, had Joseph, whose name also was Caiaphas, for his successor; so that the whole time during which our Lord is related to have taught is included in the space of four years.

AMBROSE. The Son of God being about to gather together the Church, commences His work in His servant. And so it is well said, The word of the Lord came to John, that the Church should begin not from man, but from the Word. But Luke, in order to declare that John was a prophet, rightly used these few words, The word of the Lord came to him. He adds nothing else, for they need not their own judgment who are filled with the Word of God. By saying this one thing, he has therefore declared all. But Matthew and Mark desired to shew him to be a prophet, by his raiment, his girdle, and his food.

CHRYSOSTOM. (in Matt. Hom. 10.) The word of God here mentioned was a commandment, for the son of Zacharias came not of himself, but God moved him.

THEOPHYLACT. Through the whole of the time until his shewing himself he was hid in the wilderness, that no suspicion might arise in men’s minds, that from his relation to Christ, and from his intercourse with Him from a child, he would testify such things of Him; and hence he said, I knew him not. (John 1:33.)

GREGORY OF NYSSA. (de Virg. c. 6.) Who also entered this life at once in the spirit and power of Elias, removed from the society of men, in uninterrupted contemplation of invisible things, that he might not, by becoming accustomed to the false notions forced upon us by our senses, fall into mistakes and errors in the discernment of good men. And to such a height of divine grace was he raised, that more favour was bestowed upon him than the Prophets, for from the beginning even to the end, he ever presented his heart before God pure and free from every natural passion.

AMBROSE. Again, the wilderness is the Church itself, for the barren has more children than she who has an husband. The word of the Lord came, that the earth which was before barren might bring forth fruit unto us.

3:3–6

3. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

4. As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

5. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

6. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

AMBROSE. The Word came, and the voice followed. For the Word first works inward, then follows the office of the voice, as it is said, And he went into all the country about Jordan.

ORIGEN. Jordan is the same as descending, for there descends from God a river of healing water. But what parts would John be traversing but the country lying about Jordan, that the penitent sinner might soon arrive at the flowing stream, humbling himself to receive the baptism of repentance. For it is added, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) It is plain to every reader that John not only preached the baptism of repentance, but to some also he gave it, yet his own baptism he could not give for the remission of sins.

CHRYSOSTOM. (ubi sup.) For as the sacrifice had not yet been offered up, nor had the holy Spirit descended, how could remission of sins be given? What is it then that St. Luke means by the words, for the remission of sins? Seeing the Jews were ignorant, and knew not the weight of their sins, and because this was the cause of their evils, in order that they might be convinced of their sins and seek a Redeemer, John came exhorting them to repentance, that being thereby made better and sorrowful for their sins, they might be ready to receive pardon. Rightly then after saying, that he came preaching the baptism of repentance, he adds, for the remission of sins. As if he should say, The reason by which he persuaded them to repent was, that thereby they would the more easily obtain subsequent pardon, believing on Christ. For if they were not led by repentance, in vain could they ask for grace, other than as a preparation for faith in Christ.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) Or John is said to preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, because the baptism which was to take away sin, as he could not give, he preached; just as the Incarnate Word of the Father preceded the word of preaching, so the baptism of repentance, which was able to take away sin, was preceded by John’s baptism, which could not take away sin.

AMBROSE. And therefore many say that St. John is a type of the Law, because the Law could denounce sin, but could not pardon it.

GREGORY NAZIANZEN. (Orat. 39.) To speak now of the difference of baptisms. Moses indeed baptized, but in the water, the cloud, and the sea, but this was done figuratively. John also baptized, not indeed according to the Jewish rite, (for he baptized not only with water,) but also for the remission of sins, yet not altogether spiritually, (for he adds not, in the Spirit.) Jesus baptizes but with the Spirit, and this is perfect baptism. There is also a fourth baptism, namely by martyrdom and blood, by which also Christ Himself was baptized, and which is so far more glorious than the others, as it is not sullied by repeated acts of defilement. There is also a fifth, the most weary, according to which David every night washed his bed and his couch with tears. It follows, As it is written in the book of Esaias the Prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness. (Is. 40:3.)

AMBROSE. John the forerunner of the Word is rightly called the voice, because the voice being inferior precedes, the Word, which is more excellent, follows.

GREGORY. (7, 20. in Ev.) John cries in the desert because he brings the glad tidings of redemption to deserted and forsaken Judæa, but what he cries is explained in the words, Prepare ye the way of the Lord. For they who preach true faith and good works, what else do they than prepare the way for the Lord’s coming into the hearts of the hearers, that they might make the paths of God straight, forming pure thoughts in the mind by the word of good preaching.

ORIGEN. Or, a way must be prepared in our heart for the Lord, for the heart of man is large and spacious if it has become clean. For imagine not that in the size of the body, but in the virtue of the understanding, consists that greatness which must receive the knowledge of the truth. Prepare then in thy heart by good conversation a way for the Lord, and by perfect works pursue the path of life, that so the word of God may have free course in thee.

BASIL. (non occ.) And because a path is a way trodden down by those that have gone before, and which former men have worn away, the word bids those who depart from the zeal of their predecessors repeatedly pursue it.

CHRYSOSTOM. (ubi sup.) But to cry, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, was not the office of the king, but of the forerunner. And so they called John the voice, because he was the forerunner of the Word.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. (in Esai. 40. lib. 3.) But suppose some one should answer, saying, How shall we prepare the way of the Lord, or how shall we make His paths straight? since so many are the hindrances to those who wish to lead an honest life. To this the word of prophecy replies, There are some ways and paths by no means easy to travel, being in some places hilly and rugged, in others steep and precipitous; to remove which it says, Every valley shall be filled, every mountain and hill shall he brought low. Some roads are most unequally constructed, and while in one part rising, in another sloping downwards, are very difficult to pass. And here he adds, And the crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth. But this was in a spiritual manner brought to pass by the power of our Saviour. For formerly to pursue an Evangelical course of life was a difficult task, for men’s minds were so immersed in worldly pleasures. But now that God being made Man, has condemned sin in the flesh, all things are made plain, and the way of going has become easy, and neither hill nor valley is an obstacle to those who wish to advance.

ORIGEN. For when Jesus had come and sent His Spirit, every valley was filled with good works, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which if thou hast, thou wilt not only cease to become a valley, but will begin also to be a mountain of God.

GREGORY OF NYSSA. (ubi sup.) Or by the valleys he means a quiet habitual practice of virtue, as in the Psalms, The valleys shall be filled with corn. (Ps. 65:13.)

CHRYSOSTOM. (ubi sup.) He denounces the haughty and arrogant by the name of mountains, whom Christ has brought low. But by the hills He implies the wreckless, not only because of the pride of their hearts, but because of the barrenness of despair. For the hill produces no fruit.

ORIGEN. Or you may understand the mountains and hills to be the hostile powers, which have been overthrown by the coming of Christ.

BASIL. (non occ.) But as the hills differ from mountains in respect of height, in other things are the same, so also the adverse powers agree indeed in purpose, but are distinguished from one another in the enormity of their offences.

GREGORY. (20. in Ev.) Or, the valley when filled increases, but the mountains and hills when brought low decrease, because the Gentiles by faith in Christ receive fulness of grace, but the Jews by their sin of treachery have lost that wherein they boasted. For the humble receive a gift because the hearts of the proud they keep afar off.

CHRYSOSTOM. (in Matt. Hom. 10.) Or by these words he declares the difficulties of the law to be turned into the easiness of faith; as if he said, No more toils and labours await us, but grace and remission of sins make an easy way to salvation.

GREGORY OF NYSSA. (ubi sup.) Or, He orders the valleys to be filled, the mountains and hills to be cast down, to shew that the rule of virtue neither fails from want of good, nor transgresses from excess.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) But the crooked places are become straight, when the hearts of the wicked, perverted by a course of injustice, are directed to the rule of justice. But the rough ways are changed to smooth, when fierce and savage dispositions by the influence of Divine grace return to gentleness and meckness.

CHRYSOSTOM. (ubi sup.) He then adds the cause of these things, saying, And all flesh shall see, &c. shewing that the virtue and knowledge of the Gospel shall be extended even to the end of the world, turning mankind from savage manners and perverse wills to meekness and gentleness. Not only Jewish converts but all mankind shall see the salvation of God.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. (ubi sup.) That is, of the Father, who sent His Son as our Saviour. But the flesh is here taken for the whole man.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) Or else, All flesh, i. e. Every man can not see the salvation of God in Christ in this life. The Prophet therefore stretches his eye beyond to the last day of judgment, when all men both the elect and the reprobate shall equally see Him.

The Syriac Catholic Church (Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ‎, romanized: ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, Arabic: الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية‎), also known as Syriac Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, is an Eastern Catholic Christian originating in the Levant that uses the West Syriac Rite liturgy and has many practices and rites in common with the Syriac Orthodox Church. Being one of the twenty-three Eastern Catholic Churches, the Syriac Catholic Church is a self-governed sui iuris particular church church while it is in full communion with the Holy See and entirety of the Catholic Church.

Ignatius Ephrem Joseph III Yonan (or Younan, Syriac: ܐܓܢܛܝܘܣ ܝܘܣܦ ܬܠܝܬܝܐ ܝܘܢܢ‎, born November 15, 1944) is the Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syriacs for the Syriac Catholic Church since his election on January 20, 2009

The Syriac Catholic Church traces its history to the first centuries of Christianity. After the Chalcedonian Schism the Church of Antioch became part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and was known as the Syriac Orthodox Church, while a new Antiochian patriarchate was established to fill its place by the churches which accepted the Council of Chalcedon. The Syriac Orthodox Church came into full communion with the Holy See and the modern Syriac Orthodox Church is a result of those that did not want to join the Catholic Church. Therefore, the Syriac Catholic Church is a continuation of the original Church of Antioch.

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

From: Baruch 5:1-9

A summing up, by way of conclusion
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[1] Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem,
and put on for ever the beauty of the glory from God.
[2] Put on the robe of the righteousness from God;
put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting.
[3] For God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven.
[4] For your name will for ever be called by God,
"Peace of righteousness and glory of godliness."

[5] Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height
and look toward the east,
and see your children gathered from west and east,
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that God has remembered them.
[6] For they went forth from you on foot,
led away by their enemies;
but God will bring them back to you,
carried in glory, as on a royal throne.
[7] For God has ordered that every high mountain
and the everlasting hills be made low
and the valleys filled up, to make level ground,
so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God.
[8] The woods and every fragrant tree
have shaded Israel at God's command.
[9] For God will lead Israel with joy,
in the light of his glory,
with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.

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Commentary:

5:1-9. By way of recapitulation, the book ends with a new song of consolation, the fourth in the book. It promises everlasting happiness, and the tone is eschatological. The new Jerusalem will be given a symbolic name that indicates not only that she belongs to God but also her main features: she will be "peace of righteousness" and "glory of godliness", that is, just peace and glorious devotion. Olympiodorus offers a spiritual interpretation: "Christ is our peace and our justice and our glory, and the example of the piety with which we should live: we, too, will receive those names from him" ("Fragmenta in Baruch", 5, 4).

This passage has many parallels in the prophetical and Wisdom books -- Is 40:4-5; 49:18-22; 60:1-4; Jer 30:15-22; Ps 126; etc. But particularly intriguing is the connexion between vv. 1-9 and the vision of the messianic Jerusalem in the Revelation to John 21:1-4, which St Irenaeus noticed in his "Adversus haereses", where he concludes: "No allegorical interpretation of this can be given: everything is true and clear and defined, and God desires that it be so for the glory of righteous men. God raises man from the dead and, when the Kingdom comes, man will be brought to life with incorruptibility and made strong, and he will welcome in the glory of the Father. When everything has been renewed, he will truly live in the city of God" (5, 35, 2).

From: Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11

Thanksgiving and Prayer
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4] always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. [6] And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. [7] It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. [8] For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. [9] And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, [10] so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruits of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

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Commentary:

3-5. "Your partnership": in the original this reads "your communion". In the New Testament this term has a wide meaning, mainly denoting closeness of thought, action and lifestyle. It is sometimes used in connection with collections made in favor of the needy (cf. Rom 15:26; 2 Cor 9:13).

Despite the fact that the faithful at Philippi were in general people of modest means and were themselves experiencing hardship (cf. 2 Cor 8:2), they never spared any effort when others were in need, and always did what they could to help the spread of the Church, by both almsgiving (cf. 2 Cor 8:3-4) and personal commitment (cf. 2 Cor 8:5), prayer and help to the ministers of the Gospel, as the Apostle knew from personal experience (cf. Phil 4:14-16).

St Paul recognizes their difficulties are due to their generous response to the demands of the faith-- a gift from God (cf. v. 29); that is why he continually prays that they may always have the grace they need.

4. "With joy": the Apostle's joy is one of the outstanding features of this epistle; the good spirit of the Philippians makes him particularly happy: the very thought of them brings him joy. Further on, in 3:1, he tells them to rejoice in the Lord; and in 4:4 he twice repeats this exhortation to a joy that comes from closeness to the Lord (cf. notes on Phil 4:4; 4:5-7).

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Notes on Phil 4:4; 4:5-7: 4. What St Paul says here is particularly impressive if one bears in mind that he is writing this letter from prison. In order to have joy it does not matter if we are living in difficult conditions. "For a Christian, joy is a treasure. Only by offending God do we lose it, because sin is the fruit of selfishness, and selfishness is the root of sadness. Even then, a bit of joy survives under the debris of our soul-- the knowledge that neither God nor his (Christ's) Mother forgets us. If we repent, if an act of sorrow springs from our heart, if we purify ourselves in the holy sacrament of penance, God comes out to meet and forgive us. Then there can be no sadness whatsoever" (St J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 178).

The kind of profound joy that fills the soul with peace does not derive from the satisfaction of physical or material needs but from faithfulness to God and his commandments by embracing the Cross. "This is the difference between us and those who do not know God," St Cyprian says: "they complain in adversity; but difficulties do not draw us away from virtue or from the true faith. On the contrary, our virtue and faith are reinforced in affliction" ("De Mortalitate", 13).

In the Old Testament, God, speaking through Nehemiah, said, "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh 8:10). Joy, in fact, is a powerful ally in the struggle to achieve victory (cf. 1 Mac 3:2ff), to conquer evil with good, for it is something closely connected with grace. "The true worth of what a Christian does is determined by the active presence of God's grace in him and his deeds. In a Christian's heart, therefore, peace is inseparable from joy [...]. when the joy that is in a Christian heart is poured out on others, it gives them hope and optimism; it spurs them to be generous in their daily toil and infects the entire society. My children, only if you have in you this divine grace which is joy and peace, will you be able to do anything useful for others" (John Paul II, "Address", 10 April 1979).

5-7. "The Lord is at hand": the Apostle reminds the faithful of the nearness of our Lord; he wants to encourage them to rejoice and to be understanding towards one another. These words must surely have brought to their minds the exclamation "Marana tha" (Come, Lord), which was often in the lips at liturgical celebrations (cf. note on 1 Cor 16:21-24). In the sort of hostile environment that many of them lived in, they needed to put their hope in their Savior, Jesus Christ, who will come from heaven to judge the living and the dead (cf. Phil 3:20; 1 Thess 4:16ff; 2 Thess 1:5). St Paul does not mean to specify when the "Parousia" or second coming of Christ will take place (cf. "Introduction to St Paul's Epistles to the Thessalonians" in "The Navarre Bible: Thessalonians; EB", 414-461; note on Mt 24:36). Like the first Christians, we should make sure it does not catch us unprepared.

Besides, the Lord is always near us, always caring for us in his providence (cf. Ps 119:151). There is no reason for us to feel ill at ease. He is our Father, he is near to all who call on him (cf. Ps 145:18); he listens to our prayers, ever ready to instruct us and to give us whatever we need to overcome difficulties that arise. All that he asks is that we trustingly tell him our situation, speaking to him with the simplicity of a child.

Constant dialogue with God in prayer is, as St Paul suggests, a good way to prevent anything robbing us of peace of soul, for prayer "regulates our affections", St Bernard teaches, "directs our actions, corrects our faults, guides our conduct, beautifies and orders our life; it brings with it knowledge of things divine and things human also. It determines what we ought to do and reflects on what we have done, in such a way that our heart never becomes wanton or in need of discipline" ("Book of Consideration", I, 7).
-----------------------

The same exhortation to true joy is very often to be found in early Christian writings: "Clothe yourself with cheerfulness, which always finds favor with God and is acceptable to him. Take all your delight in this, for every cheerful man does good, has good thoughts, and despises melancholy" ("The Pastor of Hermas", X, 3, 1).

Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) and a virtue intimately connected with supernatural charity, from which it derive s (cf. "Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 23, a. 4). It is a gift a soul in grace experiences, irrespective of its personal situation or circumstances. It comes from union with God and recognition of his loving Providence towards all creation and especially towards his children. Joy gives the Christian peace and objectivity in everything he does.

6. The Old Testament teaches that God is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Ex 34:6; Ps 119:137). His faithfulness means that he always is true to his word, always keeps the promises he makes to his people (cf. Deut 34:4); therefore man can abandon himself into God's hand without fear, for there he will find a safe refuge (cf. Ps 31:5-6). God, who initiated the work of salvation by giving Christians the gift of faith and filling them with sanctifying grace, will continue to enrich them with his grace until they at last encounter Christ in heaven (cf. 1 Cor 1:4-9).

On the basis of this verse of Scripture, the Church's Magisterium, in reaction to the Pelagian heresy, taught that the beginnings of faith, as also increase of faith and the act of faith whereby we believe, are all the result of grace and man's free response to that gift (cf. Second Council of Orange, can. 5). Centuries later, the Council of Trent repeated this teaching: just as God began this good work, he will bring it to completion, if we for our part cooperate (cf. "De Iustificatione", chap. 13).

By reflecting on this truth, St. Francis de Sales tells us, we shall come to realize how much we ought to trust in God: "Our Lord is ever watchful of the actions of his children; he gets them to walk ahead of him and gives them a helping hand if they meet up with difficulty. He said as much through Isaiah: 'For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, Fear not, I will help you" (Is 41:13 ). So, in addition to having good morale, we should put all our trust in God and in his help, for, provided we don't lose the state of grace, he will complete in us the good work of our salvation which he has already begun" ("Treatise on the Love of God", 3. 4).

To this trust in divine help must be added a personal effort to respond to grace, for, in the words of St. Augustine, "God who created you without your cooperation will not save you without your cooperation" ("Sermon 169", 13).

"The day of Christ Jesus": see the note on 1 Cor 1:8-9.
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Note on 1 Cor 1:8-9. "The day of our Lord': in St Paul's writings and in the New Testament generally, this refers to the day of the General Judgment when Christ will appear as Judge, clothed in glory (cf. 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thess 5:2).

Christians actively hope that that Day will find them "blameless" (cf. Phil 1:10; 1 Thess 3:13; 5:23); the basis for this hope is God's faithfulness--an attitude frequently applied to him in the Old Testament (cf. Deut 7:9; Is 49:7) and in St Paul's letters (cf. 1 Cor 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thess 5:24; 2 Thess 3:3; Heb 10:23): the Covenant which God made with the chosen people was primarily a gift and a grace, but it also was a legal commitment. The Covenant was grounded on God's fidelity, which was not merely a matter of legal obligation: it involved faithful, constant love. The God's fidelity will finds its fullest expression in the Redemption brought about by Jesus Christ: "If, in fact, the reality of the Redemption," Pope John Paul II says, "in its human dimension, reveals the unheard-of greatness of man, "qui talem ac tantum meruit habere Redemptorem", at the same time "the divine dimension of the Redemption" enables us [...] to uncover the depth of that love which does not recoil before the extraordinary sacrifice of the Son, in order to satisfy the fidelity of the Creator and Father towards human beings, created in his image" ("Dives In Misericordia", 7).
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8. "With all the affection of Christ Jesus": St Paul is so identified with our Lord that he can say that he has the same sentiments towards them as Christ has. This supernatural love is quite compatible with human affection, but it raises it on to a higher level. This entire epistle is an excellent proof of how the two kinds of love--human and divine--interweave. Charity "joins closely to God those in whom it reigns", Leo XIII teaches, "and causes them to receive from God the life of the soul and to live with him and for him. Love of neighbor has to go hand in hand with charity and love of God, for (we must recognize that) all mankind share in God's infinite goodness and are made in his image and likeness" ("Sapientiae Christianae", 51-52).

Helping others is the surest sign of true love, for, writes St Teresa of Avila, "we cannot be sure if we are loving God, although we may have good reasons for believing that we are, but we can know quite well if we are loving our neighbor. And be certain that, the farther advanced you find you are in this, the greater the love you will have for God; for so dearly does His Majesty love us that He will reward our love for our neighbor by increasing the love which we bear to himself, and that in a thousand ways" ("Interior Castle", 5, 3, 8).

This love is the basis of apostolic effectiveness: "A sign of love will be the concern to give the truth and to bring people into unity. Another sign of love will be a devotion to the proclamation of Jesus Christ, without reservation or turning back" (Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi", 79).

9-11. "Discernment": a deeply Christian view of things, which enables one to see the events of everyday life in a supernatural light and therefore understand them properly--very much the same idea as conveyed by the "wisdom" so often referred to in the Old Testament.

Up to this point St Paul's prayers and exhortations have had to do with steady growth in charity. Since charity is a supernatural virtue, "one needs to ask God to increase it, since God alone can bring that about in us" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Phil, ad loc."). Growth in charity means our attaining greater "knowledge" of God. "The lover", St Thomas says, "is not satisfied with superficial knowledge of the beloved but strives to gain an intimate knowledge of everything pertaining to him, so as to penetrate his very soul" ("Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 28, a. 2). Eagerness to know God brings one closer and closer to Jesus Christ, in an effort to absorb his teachings and put into practice the saving truths they contain--to act "with discernment", knowing what is the best thing to do in every situation.

A personal relationship with God through prayer, identification with Christ by frequent reception of the sacraments, and the action of the Holy Spirit indwelling in the soul in grace, give the Christian a special insight that enables him to distinguish good from evil in the concrete situations that arise. The gift of wisdom "allows us to know God and rejoice in his presence; it enables us to judge accurately the situations and events of this life [...].

"Not that the Christian should neglect to see all that is good in humanity, appreciate its healthy joys or participate in its enthusiasm and ideals. On the contrary, a true Christian will vibrate in unison with all the good he finds in the world. And he will live in the midst of it with a special concern, since he knows, better than anyone, the depth and the richness of the human spirit.

"A Christian's faith does not diminish his spirit or limit the noble impulses of his soul: rather it makes them grow with the realization of their true and authentic meaning" (St J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133).

From: Luke 3:1-6

The Preaching of John the Baptist
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[1] In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, [2] in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; [3] and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [4] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. [5] Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; [6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

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Commentary:

1. The Gospel identifies very precisely the time and place of the public appearance of John the Baptist, the Precursor of Christ, "Tiberius Caesar" was the second emperor of Rome, and the fifteenth year of his reign corresponds to A.D. 27 or 29, depending on which of the two possible calculations is correct.

"Pontius Pilate" was governor or "praefectus" of Judea from A.D. 26 to 36. His jurisdiction also extended to Samaria and Idumea.

The "Herod" referred to here is Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, who succeeded to part of his father's territory with the title of tetrarch, not king. "Tetrarch" indicated that he exercised his power in subordination to Roman authority. It was Herod Antipas, who died in A.D. 39, who had St John the Baptist beheaded. On the identity of the four Herods in the New Testament, see the note on Mt 2:1.

"Philip", another son of Herod the Great and stepbrother of Herod Antipas, was tetrarch in the territory mentioned here up to the year 34 B.C. He married Herodias, who is spoken about in Mk 6:17-19.

2. The high priest at the time was "Caiaphas", who held the position from A.D. 18 to 36. Annas, his father-in-law, was still so influential that he was considered as the "de facto" head of Jewish religious and political life. That is why, when Christ was arrested, he was first interrogated before Annas (Jn 18:12-24). St Luke therefore is perfectly justified in calling him the high priest.

2-3. Here St Luke formally introduces St John the Baptist, who appears in his gospel a number of times. When Christ praises the Baptist (cf. Mt 11: 7-9) he refers particularly to his strength of will and his commitment to his God-given mission. Humility, austerity, courage and a spirit of prayer figure strongly in John's personality. So faithful was he to his mission of preparing the way for the Messiah that Christ praises him in a unique way: he is the greatest of those born of woman (cf. Mt 11:11), "a burning and shining lamp" (Jn 5:35). He burned with love, and shone by the witness he bore. Christ "was the light" (Jn 1:9); the Baptist "came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him" (Jn 1:7).

John the Baptist appears on the scene preaching the need for repentance. He prepares "the way of the Lord". He is the herald of salvation: but his mission does not go beyond that; he simply announces that salvation is coming. "Among you stands one...who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worth to untie" (Jn 1:27). He points Christ out: "Behold, the Lamb of God" (Jn 1:29, 36), behold "the Son of God" (Jn 1:34); and he rejoices to see his own disciples leave him to follow Christ (Jn 1:37): "He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:30).

4-6. In the second part of the Book of Isaiah (chaps. 40-55), which is called the "Book of the Consolation of Israel", the Jewish people are told that they will once again suffer exile and a new exodus in which their guide will be, not Moses, but God himself; once again they will make their way through the desert to reach a new promised land. St Luke sees the preaching of the Baptist, who announces the arrival of the Messiah, as fulfilling this prophecy.

Because the Lord is imminent, people must prepare themselves spiritually, by doing penance for their sins, to receive the special divine grace the Messiah is bringing. This is what he means by levelling the mountains and making the Lord's path straight.

Every year in its Advent liturgy the Church proclaims the coming of Jesus Christ, our Savior, exhorting every Christian to purify his or her soul by a new interior conversion.

Source: Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 3
1.	NOW in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea, and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina;	Anno autem quintodecimo imperii Tiberii Cæsaris, procurante Pontio Pilato Judæam, tetrarcha autem Galiææ Herode, Philippo autem fratre ejus tetrarcha Iturææ, et Trachonitidis regionis, et Lysania Abilinæ tetrarcha,	εν ετει δε πεντεκαιδεκατω της ηγεμονιας τιβεριου καισαρος ηγεμονευοντος ποντιου πιλατου της ιουδαιας και τετραρχουντος της γαλιλαιας ηρωδου φιλιππου δε του αδελφου αυτου τετραρχουντος της ιτουραιας και τραχωνιτιδος χωρας και λυσανιου της αβιληνης τετραρχουντος
2.	Under the high priests Annas and Caiphas; the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert.	sub principibus sacerdotum Anna et Caipha : factum est verbum Domini super Joannem, Zachariæ filium, in deserto.	επι αρχιερεως αννα και καιαφα εγενετο ρημα θεου επι ιωαννην τον ζαχαριου υιον εν τη ερημω
3.	And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins;	Et venit in omnem regionem Jordanis, prædicans baptismum pœnitentiæ in remissionem peccatorum,	και ηλθεν εις πασαν την περιχωρον του ιορδανου κηρυσσων βαπτισμα μετανοιας εις αφεσιν αμαρτιων
4.	As it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.	sicut scriptum est in libro sermonum Isaiæ prophetæ : Vox clamantis in deserto : Parate viam Domini ; rectas facite semitas ejus :	ως γεγραπται εν βιβλω λογων ησαιου του προφητου λεγοντος φωνη βοωντος εν τη ερημω ετοιμασατε την οδον κυριου ευθειας ποιειτε τας τριβους αυτου
5.	Every valley shall be filled; and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight; and the rough ways plain;	omnis vallis implebitur, et omnis mons, et collis humiliabitur : et erunt prava in directa, et aspera in vias planas :	πασα φαραγξ πληρωθησεται και παν ορος και βουνος ταπεινωθησεται και εσται τα σκολια εις ευθειαν και αι τραχειαι εις οδους λειας
6.	And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.	et videbit omnis caro salutare Dei.	και οψεται πασα σαρξ το σωτηριον του θεου

St John the Baptist in the Desert

Jusepe de Ribera

1644-47
Oil on canvas, 184 x 198 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

The life of St Sabbas

Icon of St Sabbas

Our Holy Father Sabbas the Sanctified (pronounced “Sava”) was born in 439 A.D. of pious and wealthy parents, John and Sofia, in the village Moutalaske of Cappadocia. His father was an officer, was forced to leave for Alexandria with his wife Sofia and thus entrusted the upbringing of the five-year-old Sabbas to Ermias, his brother-in-law, on his wife’s side.

A few years later, Sabbas, who was dissatisfied by his aunt’s behavior and the subsequent dispute between his uncles Ermias and Gregory over his upbringing and the administration of his parent’s property, took refuge in the monastery of Phlavianae near his hometown. There, he applied himself to learning the Psalter and other monastic duties and the practice of godly virtues and was distinguished by his abstinence, humility and obedience, in which he surpassed his sixty or seventy fellow monks. Foreshadowing Sabbas’ holiness, God graced him with unshakable and miraculous faith: on one occasion he entered a burning oven armed with the sign of the Cross, and emerged safe and unhurt, carrying the clothes that the baker had left therein.

At the end of a ten-year ascesis, he requested the Abbot’s blessing to depart for good to the Holy City of Jerusalem, insomuch as he desired to ascend continually from glory to glory in the hesychia of the desert. In accordance with a divine vision, the Abbot gave his consent and so Sabbas – at the age of eighteen – reached Jerusalem where he was received at St Passarion’s monastery and spent the winter of 456-457 A.D. Although he was urged by the Archimandrite Father Elpidios and some of the brothers to stay with them, Sabbas ardently desired to join the anchorites who were struggling under the guidance of that miracle-working shining star, Euthymios the Great. Upon receiving Elpidios’ blessing for this, Sabbas left to meet Euthymios.

Euthymios refused to keep Sabbas in his Laura, sending him instead to the monastery of Abba Theoktistos, and foretelling that Sabbas would be distinguished in monastic life. One reason for Euthymios’ action was his intention to teach Sabbas by example that, when Sabbas himself would establish his own Laura and become instructor and head of all the Palestinian anchorites, young (beardless) men not be accepted as monks. Young Sabbas received Euthymios’ instruction as God’s will, and having become Abba Theoktistos’ novice, fervently increased his previous struggles in fasting, wakeful-vigilance, humility and obedience, adding great love and concern for church services and care for his fellow monks and generally exhibiting faultless conduct.

St Sabbas Monastery -- Michigan

St Sabbas continued to lead a life of such great piety for ten years, until Theoktistos died, and two further years till Maris, Theoktistos’ successor, died, after which Sabbas asked the new abbot, Longinos, to allow him to lead the hesychastic life. In the light of Sabbas’ extreme virtue and with Euthymios’ consent, Longinos conceded to Sabbas’ desire and for the ensuing five years, Sabbas lived in a cave south of the monastery, praying, and working and eating nothing at all for five days of the week. Only on Saturdays and Sundays did he return to the monastery to bring in his handicraft and take part in common prayer. During Lent, Sabbas stayed with Euthymios and his disciple Dometianos in the great Rouba desert, between the Kidron Valley and the Dead Sea fasting, drinking little, praying and keeping vigil. The Saint continued this way of life in later years as well. On January 20, 473, our great father Euthymios slept in peace.

Then St Sabbas – at age thirty-five – did not return to the coenobium but left for the eastern desert, Rouba and Coutila, at a time when St Gerasimos of Jordan shone in the Jordan desert. Sabbas remained in this desert, for four years and there he was spiritually connected with St Theodosios the Coenobiarch through the monk Anthos. It was there that his deep belief in God and his extreme virtue enabled to attain complete fearlessness of the demons and the wild beasts and gain the respect of the barbarians. Later, summoned by an angel on the Mount of Evdokia, he moved to a cave on the eastern side of the Kidron Valley, still referred to today as the cave of St Sabbas, opposite the Laura. Five years later, about seventy hermits and anchorites, all blessed men, started gathering around Sabbas. They composed the first brotherhood of the Laura in 483, and following the initial organization of the Laura and the miraculous arrearance of a spring of agiasma (holy water), in answer to the Saint’s prayer, Sabbas saw a fiery pillar rising to heaven on the western bank, opposite his cave. ON examination of this place the next day, he found a God-built cave which was suitably shaped for a church. St Sabbas made this place the center of his Laura. At that time his company numbered a hundred and fifty monks.

For such a holy work, it was impossible to avoid confrontation with the temptation of the devil and scandals. St Sabbas was scorned and slandered by his own monks who asked Patriarch Sallustios to replace Sabbas as abbot. Sallustios, however, knowing that Sabbas was a holy man, ordained him as presbyter and consecrated the Theoktistos Church on December 12, 491.

St Sabbas’ heavenly way of life on earth continued. More monks joined him, mainly Armenians, attracted by his example, his life, his ascesis and miracles. During Lent, Sabbas led a superhuman life in the great desert. The Laura was joined by the most holy John, who despite being the bishop of Colonia, lived the life of a simple monk, later becoming famous for his virtue. In 492, St Sabbas came to the Kastellion fortress in the desert northeast of the Laura, where he drove away the demons dwelling there and founded a coenobium and started a monastic brotherhood. Later, Patriarch Sallustios appointed Sabbas to be the head and ruler of all the Anchorites, in the area of the Holy City area and Theodosios the Coenobiarch head and archimandrite of all the coenobia. St Sabbas once jokingly told Theodosios that he himself was “abbot of the abbots” while Theodosios was “abbot of children,” i.e. of beginners.

St Sabbas Monastery -- Jerusalem

Reconstruction work on the Great Church of the Theotokos started in 494 and the Church was consecrated on July 1, 502. This work was necessary because the Theoktistos Church and the small prayer house were too small for the worship needs of the Laura.

Nevertheless, the monks who had previously slandered the Saint, revolted again and St Sabbas, wishing to appease them, was forced to leave the Laura. His absence lasted five years (503-508 A.D.) and during these years he organized two new coenobia at Gadara and Nicopolis, placed joined by Christians who wanted to become monks near him. Finally the reinstatement of the Saint to the office of abbot forced the revolting monks to leave the Great Laura and settle in the New Laura. St Sabbas, ever-forbearing, nonetheless even helped them build and organize their own Laura, appointing John, a holy man, as their abbot.

The Saint then dedicated himself to the fostering of his spiritual children and, before his death, built two more lauras, the Heptastomos Laura (512 A.D.) and the Laura of Jeremias and two more Coenobia, those of Spelaion (509 A.D.) and Scholarios (512 A.D.). The last twenty years of his life were rendered brilliant with activities which were very significant for ecclesiastical and worldwide history. Under the pressure of the monophysite emperor Anastasios (491-518) and the leading monophysites “Akephalioi” Severos, Philoxenos and Soterichos, the Orthodox Churches of the East gradually fell into the hands of monophysite bishops. St Sabbas, urged by the Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Elias (494-516), went to Constantinople in 512 and there – through his reputation and holiness – managed to persuade the emperor to annul Elias’ displacement. In the following year – when the Orthodox patriarch was displaced by the emperor – St Sabbas gathered all the desert monks in Jerusalem to protect Elias and he anathematized the heretical delegates of the emperor. He organized a similar movement of the monks three years later, in 516, in order to support the new patriarch of Jerusalem, John III (516-524), with the help of St Theodosios the Coenobiarch. This movement helped the Church of Jerusalem to retain its Orthodox faith at a time when the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria and Antioch had fallen into the hands of monophysite patriarchs. Not long after, Orthodoxy was restored everywhere.

St Sabbas visited Constantinople for a second time twenty-four years later, in 530 A.D., at the age of ninety. The Saint managed to deliver Palestine from measures emperor Justinian meant to impose in response to the riots caused by the uprising of the Samaritans and the Jews (529). The Saint even urged the pious king, who had already sensed Sabbas’ holiness through a vision, to undertake public works in Palestine and drive out the heresies of Arios, Nestorios and Origen in exchange of which he would gain the expansion of the empire in Africa and Italy. This prophesy and blessing were indeed fulfilled. The victories of the generals Velissarios and Narsis returned the western areas of the Empire to the rule of Constantinople, fulfilling Sabbas’ prophecy.

It is impossible to list the numerous miracles the Saint performed. He was gifted with such a grace that stopped the five-year long drought in Jerusalem caused by the unfair displacement of Patriarch Elias and God’s subsequent wrath (in 520). Yet, his return from Constantinople was the beginning of the end of his earthly life. Our Holy Father Sabbas the Sanctified was delivered from his toils on December 5, 532 A.D. He had lived in the Phlavianae coenobium for ten years, till the age of eighteen, seventeen years in St Theoktistos’ coenobium, in Palestine, and fifty-nine years in the deserts and the Great Laura. In 547 his holy relics were found in the grave, safe and uncorrupted, and were transferred to Constantinople many centuries later and thence to Venice by the Crusaders in 1204. In 1965 they were finally returned to his Great Laura. The unprecedented impact of his life on the pious Christians resulted in Cyril of Skythopolis composing the life of St Sabbas as early as 557 A.D.

According to our Lord’s infallible words, each man’s character is known by his fruits. Accordingly, the historical path of St Sabbas’ Laura is the fruit of the Saint’s godly virtue and proof of his glory and his boldness before God, through which he ensures even today the safety of the main monastic establishment in the Judean desert. One recognizes not only the numerous miracles of the Saint but also the impact of the monastic life of the Laura as it became a model which played a decisive role in the formation of the monastic life and ecclesiastical order throughout the entire Church and from which came a multitude of holy men, amongst whom stands out the greatest theologian of the eighth century, St John of Damascus. St Sabbas’ worship spread rapidly from Rome to Georgia. His successors in the abbacy helped the Laura become an Orthodox fortress in Palestine, standing against Origenism, Monothelytism, Iconoclasm and Papism with the panorthodox reach of the world over. During the Middle Ages, the Laura became a school of the Holy Sepulcher Brotherhood, whose members were instructed in the Laura on the monastic way of life and gained experience in ecclesiastical matters. All this is owed to St Sabbas’ intercessions and example: “How brilliant are the divine gifts of our enlightened Father Sabbas, his way of life glorious, his life virtuous, and his faith Orthodox. And this has, in part, already been shown by all that has been heretofore said.”

Taken from an album published by St Sabbas the Sanctified Monastery in Jerusalem in 2002 as part of their celebration of 1,500 unceasing years of monasticism.

stsabbas.org

Second Sunday of Advent

Readings at Mass

God means to show your splendour to every nation

May you become pure and blameless in preparation for the day of Christ

The call of John the Baptist

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 3

The life of St Sabbas