Saint Ambrose of Milan

[Saint Ambrose of Milan] Also known as

Ambreuil
Ambrogio
Ambroise
Ambrosius
Ambrun
Embrun
The Honey Tongued Doctor

7 December
4 April (Old Catholics; Lutherans)
20 December (Orthodox)

Profile

Born to the Roman nobility. Brother of Saint Marcellina and Saint Satyrus. Educated in the classics, Greek, and philosophy at Rome, Italy. Poet and noted orator. Convert to Christianity. Governor of Milan, Italy.

When the bishop of Milan died, a dispute over his replacement led to violence. Ambrose intervened to calm both sides; he impressed everyone involved so much that though he was still an unbaptized catechumen, he was chosen as the new bishop. He resisted, claiming that he was not worthy, but to prevent further violence, he assented, and on 7 December 374 he was baptized, ordained as a priest, and consecrated as bishop. He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church and the poor, both for the good it did, and as an example to his flock.

Noted preacher and teacher, a Bible student of renown, and writer of liturgical hymns. He stood firm against paganism and Arians. His preaching helped convert Saint Augustine of Hippo, whom Ambrose baptized and brought into the Church. Ambrose’s preaching brought Emperor Theodosius to do public penance for his sins. He called and chaired several theological councils during his time as bishop, many devoted to fighting heresy. Welcomed Saint Ursus and Saint Alban of Mainz when they fled Naxos to escape Arian persecution, and then sent them on to evangelize in Gaul and Germany. Proclaimed a great Doctor of the Latin Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298.

The title Honey Tongued Doctor was initially bestowed on Ambrose because of his speaking and preaching ability; this led to the use of a beehive and bees in his iconography, symbols which also indicate wisdom. This led to his association with bees, beekeepers, chandlers, wax refiners, etc.

Born

c.340 in Trier, southern Gaul (modern Germany)

Died

Holy Saturday, 4 April 397 at Milan, Italy of natural causes
relics at basilica of Milan

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Patronage

Representation

beehive
bees
bishop holding a church
bishop holding a lash or whip
bishop holding bones
dove
human bones
man arguing with a pagan
ox
pen
scourge
with Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Jerome and Saint Augustine of Hippo
beehive at his feet
books

Images

Gallery of images of Saint Ambrose

Additional Information

Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
Catholic Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia Brittanica (1911 edition)
Golden Legend
Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
New Catholic Dictionary
Roman Martyrology, 1914 edition
Saints and Their Symbols, by E A Greene
—
On the Mysteries
Concerning Widows
Memorial of Symmachus, Prefect
Sermon against Auxentius on the Giving Up of the Basilicas
On Repentance: Book 1 and 2
books
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other sites in english
- 1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian Catholic Truth Society
- Catholic Book Blogger: Saint Ambrose: Cooperation is a Law of Nature
- Catholic Cuisine
- Catholic Ireland
- Catholic News Agency
- CRadio
- Encyclopedia Brittanica (2008 edition)
- Saint Charles Borromeo Church, Picayune, Mississippi
- Saints Alive
- Saints in Rome
- uCatholic
- Wikipedia
images
- Wikimedia Commons
audio
- On the Duties of the Clergy
- Concerning Virgins
e-books
- Concerning Virginity, by Saint Ambrose
- Letters of Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
- Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church, v45, by Saint Ambrose of Milan
- On Holy Virginity, by Saint Ambrose
- Saint Ambrose: His Life, Times, and Teaching, by Robinson Thornton
- Selected Works and Letters
video
- Secret Info Club
sites en français
- Fête des prénoms
webseiten auf deutsch
- Benedikt XVI: Generalaudienz, 24 Oktober 2007
- Bibliothek der Kirchenvater
- Florilegium Martyrologii Romani
- Kathpedia
- Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon
- Stadler’s Bollstandiges Heiligenlexikon
- List of Additional Documents
siti in italiano
- Benedetto XVI
- Recherches sur Saint Ambroise
- Santi e Beati
- Wikipedia
notitia in latin
- Documenta Catholica Omnia
websites in nederlandse
- Heiligen 3s
nettsteder i norsk
- Kirken i Norge

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for December 7, 2014:

“John [the] Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mk 1:4) The sacraments are essential to the Christian life. Encourage your spouse to go to confession regularly. Participation in this sacrament will strengthen not only your relationship with God but your relationship with your spouse.

Sunday Scripture Study

Second Sunday of Advent - Cycle B

December 7, 2014

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer

First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11

Psalm: 85:9-14

Second Reading:2 Peter 3:8-14

Gospel Reading: Mark 1:1-8

This Sunday’s reading is from the opening of St. Mark’s Gospel. The shortest of the four Gospels, Mark is marked by a sense of immediacy, which goes well with the themes of vigilance and preparation, which characterize the season of Advent. Mark does not relate any genealogies or infancy narratives, but as his gospel opens we are immediately shown the events leading up to the beginning of Jesus’ preaching ministry (Mark 1:14).

We are also introduced to John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin and precursor, who is preaching “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” that is, people were seeking forgiveness of their sins by their repentance. John’s baptism did not have the sacramental power to wash away sins like Christian baptism does as it lacked the power of the Holy Spirit conferred by Jesus after his Resurrection (verse 8; John 3:5, 20:22-23).

John the Baptist was identified as a kind of Elijah the prophet from the Old Testament (2 Kings 1:8), returned to usher in the Messianic age (verses 2-3; Malachi 3:23-24; Mark 9:11-13; Matthew 17:10-12; Luke 1:17). He will also figure prominently in next week’s Gospel reading and several of the daily Mass readings throughout Advent.

QUESTIONS:

In the 1^st Reading, what is coming to an end for God’s people? How are they to prepare for what’s coming? What will it look like when it finally arrives?

In the 2^nd Reading, what attitude does St. Peter advise us to have while awaiting the return of Jesus? With what does he say we should occupy ourselves during this time?

What does Mark (and the Church) mean by “the gospel [good news] of Jesus Christ” (verse 1)? How would you explain the basic message to someone who asked?

What do the contexts of the quotes in verses 2-3 (Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3; Exodus 23:20) teach about the “coming one”?

Why is John the Baptist’s message so popular with the crowds (verses 4-5)? What does the Church teach about John (CCC 717—720)?

Given John’s message (verses 7-8) what type of person are the crowds anticipating (see Isaiah 32:15-20)?

What from your life illustrates what it means to “repent”? What can you do (or not do) to prepare for the Lord’s coming and to make this a more fruitful Advent?

John the Baptist prepared “the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 40:3). Who prepared the way of the Lord in your life?

Closing Prayer

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 151, 422, 523, 575, 696, 717-720, 2447

Neither repentance avails without grace, nor grace without repentance; for repentance must first condemn sin, that grace may blot it out. So then John, who was a type of the law, came baptizing for repentance, while Christ came to offer grace. –St. Ambrose of Milan (ca. AD 380)

A Few Pennies Each Day

Pastor's Column

2nd Sunday of Advent

December 7, 2014

The time of Advent seems to have two distinct characteristics in people’s lives, two threads that are often interwoven together – one is that of joyful hope as the season of Christmas approaches this month and the other is the presence of grief and stress. We have an awareness of having too much to do, for example, or of relatives that have died and Christmas makes us remember them.

The Lord wishes to use both of these realities as movements of grace to increase our holiness of life. It is in the midst of our life's work that God wishes to sanctify us. All of us are called each day to pray to God in whatever manner that we and God decide. I personally have an hour before the Blessed Sacrament every day. I could not function as a priest without my hour that is given wholly over to God. But God speaks to us particularly as we go about our daily business by the circumstances of life. So the stresses and grief and, yes, hope and joy that we experience in Advent are God's way of revealing our heart to us.

What are my priorities in life? When I have too much to do, God can get crowded out; and yet, when we make room for him, things invariably go better for us. At the same time, we can find ourselves consumed by grief and a desire to run away from this season. But, this too, is a time of grace for us. God often does his best work when we are overwhelmed by something and have problems only he can solve!

Notice how Christ was born in simplicity and poverty, obscurity. Who would think that such a small seed could grow to be the most important event in human history? Sometimes we feel that we can't find an answer to our problems – they are too much for us. There's too much to do in the season – or I can't get away from my problems – or I want the joy to last forever. And it is a time of hope. All God asks of me is that I make an offering of the daily circumstances of my life.

Can I offer God a few pennies for Advent? What are the small sacrifices I can make for Jesus as I go about my business this week? If I give him a few cents, that is – even a few small things or sacrifices from among the events of my daily routine – like Jesus lying in the manger looks like a small thing – Jesus will multiply my investment in him beyond anything I could ever imagine. Whether it is Advent or any other season of the year, there are always a few pennies I can give God each day. But such investments add up, especially with the compound interest that God provides in our spiritual bank account. Yes, Advent is a season of joy and hope, grief and stress – but God uses all of these emotions, all of these moments. We can make our time fruitful by the small sacrifices we offer to God as we go about our daily business in this season of hope.

Father Gary

Reflections from Scott Hahn

Straighten the Path: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Second Sunday in Advent

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 12.03.14 |

Prepare the way

Readings:
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Psalm 85:9-14
2 Peter 3:8-14
Mark 1:1-8

Our God is coming. The time of exile - the long separation of humankind from God due to sin - is about to end. This is the good news proclaimed in today’s liturgy.

Isaiah in today’s First Reading promises Israel’s future release and return from captivity and exile. But as today’s Gospel shows, Israel’s historic deliverance was meant to herald an even greater saving act by God - the coming of Jesus to set Israel and all nations free from bondage to sin, to gather them up and carry them back to God.

God sent an angel before Israel to lead them in their exodus towards the promised land (see Exodus 23:20). And He promised to send a messenger of the covenant, Elijah, to purify the people and turn their hearts to the Father before the day of the Lord (see Malachi 3:1, 23-24).

John the Baptist quotes these, as well as Isaiah’s prophecy, to show that all of Israel’s history looks forward to the revelation of Jesus. In Jesus, God has filled in the valley that divided sinful humanity from himself. He has reached down from heaven and made His glory to dwell on earth, as we sing in today’s Psalm.

He has done all this, not for humanity in the abstract, but for each of us. The long history of salvation has led us to this Eucharist, in which our God again comes and our salvation is near. And each of us must hear in today’s readings a personal call. Here is your God, Isaiah says. He has been patient with you, Peter says in today’s Epistle.

Like Jerusalem’s inhabitants in the Gospel, we have to go out to Him, repenting our sins, all the laziness and self-indulgence that make our lives a spiritual wasteland. We have to straighten out our lives, so that everything we do leads us to Him.

Today, let us hear the beginning of the gospel and again commit ourselves to lives of holiness and devotion.

2nd Sunday of Advent: "A Voice Cries Out"

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/120714.cfm

Is 40: 1-5, 9-11,

2 Pt 3: 8-14,

Mk 1: 1-8

I have wondered now and then that if the internet, websites or blogs were available to Jesus, John the Baptist, the Gospel Evangelists and St. Paul, would they have used them? Surely, St. Paul at least would have found the internet useful for communication between the ancient Christian communities. His famed Epistles would have been spread far and wide in an instant. Jesus’ preaching could have been read over and over again by crowds in distant regions. The Gospel writers could have told the powerful life changing events of Jesus’ ministry, his death and resurrection and offered a blog for their personal reflections. Indeed the Good News of the Gospel would have developed in a far different manner than it did.

Yet, this Sunday we see a far more primitive, by today’s standards, and basic method of communication: “John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” The baptizer, a strange and unsettling figure in some ways, stands along the shore of a well-known river and apparently engaged the hungry crowds through his charismatic preaching and his cleansing baptism in the Jordan River. No books, no newspapers, no internet, websites or blog - just a voice of conviction and his charismatic persona.

Yet the force and presence of this “voice” in the desert has become the quintessential call passed on from generation to generation as we “Prepare the way of the Lord.” The fiery cry of John, like a television or radio announcer about to present a significant person of great notoriety, prepares anyone who would listen for Jesus formal coming. As he (Jesus) is about to appear, we must be prepared and ready. How? Conversion and repentance of personal sin and the water of baptism is a rich sign of that repentance.

However, this figure John points to is no rock star, movie personality, or influential political figure, here today and gone tomorrow. This is the humble servant of God, the Lord who now enters our lives in human history and pushes forward the spirit of the ancient prophets and specifically of John himself. He, John reminds us, “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” He fulfills all that the prophets and Jewish people hoped for. John sets the stage and raises the bar of expectation that something, someone in fact, will profoundly move history in a new direction. John’s voice, then, is to be heard over and over again since the call to conversion is a daily invitation we all have.

We know there is something innate in the human spirit that longs for someone more powerful than us. Those who study the power of an addiction, for example, may feel the pull of the addiction is more powerful than them. It could be alcohol, smoking, drugs, gambling, or even technology. It could be something less but some repetitive behavior that I feel impossible to live without and that which consumes my time in an unhealthy way. In its darkest most destructive form an addiction can destroy not only the person who is the addict but his/her family as well.

That power over us can only be overcome through hard work and in its purest form through faith as well.

We also long for community. We are social creatures; made for one another and God intends us to live in relationship not isolation. True loneliness is a feeling of isolation and pain.

John’s voice promises all a way to follow that will free us from isolation and powers which can destroy rather than build up. As Isaiah speaks in our first reading this Sunday: “Comfort, give comfort to my people . . . every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low . . .then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” Jesus’ coming among us provides the WAY to freedom and peace. In his coming the isolated are brought to community and the powers that destroy our freedom are broken though an embrace of his role and his way in our life.

Both Isaiah and John provide these images of great geographical changes which are symbolic of these forces and powers over us. This person of whom John speaks is the One who will free us and, as Isaiah writes: “Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.”

These words of Isaiah brought solace to a people enslaved in a foreign land; a people exiled to Babylon who feared God had abandoned them. For us, they may symbolize enslavement in the form of moral confusion and a life weighed down by bad choices or the unexpected surprises we all deal with at time to time.

So we are ready to welcome a God who is mighty and strong yet at the same time gentle and comforting. In this end, this God will visit us not with force and fear but with mercy, gentleness and love. Yet, we must prepare and we must accept whatever process we need to turn our lives around and to welcome him at his coming.

Come Lord and set us free!

Almighty and merciful God,

may no earthly undertaking hinder those

who set out in haste to meet your Son,

but may our learning of heavenly wisdom

gain us admittance in his company.

(Roman Missal: Collect for Sunday)

Regnum Christi

Preparing for Christmas

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

December 7, 2014. Second Sunday of Advent.

Mark 1: 1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River

as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you have given me a new day. You have given me a new opportunity to prepare myself for your coming. I believe that you will be with me as I continue my preparation for your coming. My heart is too often divided and pulled in many directions, but I wish to set my heart totally on you so that I may love you above all else. Here I am, Lord, to know you and love you more.

Petition: Lord, help me to embrace the proper means to prepare myself for your birth.

1. John’s Preparation: John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey. He wore a camel’s skin and lived in the desert. In this manner he prepared himself for Christ’s coming. He had removed himself from the world and all its temptations. He had forfeited his home, family, friends, money, food—anything that would take him from fulfilling his call to prepare the way of the Lord. Compared with John, how deep is my commitment? What price am I prepared to pay to be his messenger?

2. John’s Preaching: John invites sinners to repentance. Thousands flock to hear him. His words move the people to listen. Probably more so does his example: the people see him living in the desert without the comforts of the world. By his actions they see he is truly a prophet. He has come before them so he can rightly call them to conversion. His life has strength and meaning that is not found in others. If we could be authentic and lead by our example, how many more people would be moved to follow Christ!

3. John’s Repentance: Those who recognize their sins go to John to be baptized. For John, baptism is a symbol of repentance: the people recognize their sins and ask God for forgiveness. John knows that he cannot forgive sins, but he realizes that it is important for everyone to take the step of being sorry and asking God to forgive them. John tells us clearly that it is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who will forgive sins. He doesn’t try to obtain forgiveness in another way. He doesn’t try to circumvent God’s plan. God has given us the sacrament of confession for the forgiveness of our sins. How often do I take advantage of it? Am I faithful to frequent confession, or perhaps do I look elsewhere for the grace that only comes from confession?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, often I fall into the ways of the world, letting myself get caught up in its comforts and vanities. Teach me that only one thing matters: you and the life you promised us. Help me to use this Advent to prepare for your coming by detaching myself from the ways of the world and by being an example of Christian living for those whom I encounter. Help me to be always faithful to my frequent confession.

Resolution: Today I will make a sacrifice, foregoing a comfort or something I really like, and offer it up to God in reparation for sins––especially my own.

By Father Frank Formolo, LC

From Babylon to Bethlehem

Dr. Mark Giszczak

shutterstock_142025716

December 7, 2014
Second Sunday of Advent
First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120714.cfm

Consequences can be discouraging. We’ve all been there—after losing a game, after failing a test, after botching a job interview, after alienating a friend, after over-spending, after making an embarrassing mistake. How we respond to failure is a huge test of our character. It is tempting to give in to discouragement, to let yourself be overwhelmed by the taste of failure, to give up. At those moments of crisis, we often need a word of encouragement, of help and reassurance. If we don’t hear hope, don’t see a way forward, upward and out of our despair, then we can get lost in its sinking spiral. In this Sunday’s first reading, Isaiah offers a word of encouragement to the ancient Israelites and to us.

Context

In the very first words of Handel’s Messiah, the tenor soloist sings out in warm tones Isaiah’s message of hope: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.” The people had failed. They had been unfaithful to God. They had suffered the consequences. They were banished from Jerusalem. Their temple was torn down. They wept by the streams of Babylon. They “received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (Isa 40:2 RSV). It was a multi-generational failure. If you read through Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, you can see the momentum of judgment build as king after king fails to be faithful to the Lord and leads the people into idolatry. No one felt this failure more acutely than those who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and were carried off into exile. By this point in the text, Isaiah has pounded out thirty-nine chapters of judgment, thoroughly condemning the sinful practices of the people, but now is the moment where things turn.

The Babylon of Sin

Most of us have never been physically exiled from our homeland, however, we might have found ourselves under the reign of sin (see Rom 5:21). In fact, sin can be so powerful that it can enslave us (Rom 6:17) and function as an overlord dragging us away from true life before God into a spiritual exile in “Babylon.” Sin is so enticing because it appears to deliver happiness as a shortcut around all the hard work, self-discipline, and dedication to others that we know happiness really requires. Sin pretends to answer our longings in the way that Babylon seemed to be a great ally for ancient Judah. However, when the Babylonians sent ambassadors to visit King Hezekiah (as Isaiah reports immediately before our reading), and he showed them all the wealth of Jerusalem, they shrewdly decided to turn their prospective partners into cowering subjects and soon conquered Judah. Sin similarly pretends to be our partner, but ends up being our master. It tempts us by leading us to think we can control it, regulate it, limit its influence, but soon we can find ourselves controlled and overpowered by it. Sin appears to answer our cry for freedom, but actually forces us into servitude. True freedom lies in freedom from the slavery of sin.

Speak to the Heart

Translators are always traitors. Here in Isaiah 40:2, they usually take the Hebrew to say “speak tenderly to Jerusalem,” but literally it says, “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” The people are discouraged after the time of judgment and exile and need some heartening words to lift their chins and re-embrace the covenant which God offers to them. The same applies to us. We need hope. We need to believe. We need to know that things can get better, that we can change, that we can love. This reading stirs the ingredients for hope in our hearts. It points out the power of a word of encouragement in a time a crisis. The hope-filled waiting of Advent reminds us that our slavery to sin and our “bondage to decay” (Rom 8:21) is temporary. A little baby will come on that extraordinary day at Bethlehem and set us free.

A Straight and Smooth Path

John the Baptist famously quotes these words of Isaiah to explain himself: “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Mark 1:3). He sees himself, dressed in camel hair and dunking people in the Jordan as a new kind of prophet, a forerunner, who makes way for the Messiah. But often, we hear about straight paths and flattened mountains without getting the idea behind it. In ancient Israel, you would never find a nice, straight, smooth road. If you had to travel, you’d be making do with cart paths, donkey trails, and winding roads that were not always well-maintained and avoided hills, mountains, and other obstacles. For us highway-driving moderns, travel would be a frustrating experience.

The crooked trails must have been annoying for the ancients too, because they constantly use “straightness” as a metaphor for righteousness: “he will make straight your paths” (Prov 3:6), “the blameless keeps his way straight” (Prov 11:5). A straight path was a sign that things were well in order and served as a powerful symbol for keeping God’s law. Not only was it desirable for one’s path to be straight, but broad and smooth as well. When Isaiah hammers home the metaphor with valley-raising, and mountain-flattening, he is highlighting the power of loving, covenantal obedience to the Lord. By faithfully keeping his word in the “wilderness” of Babylon or in the “Babylon” of sin, we prepare our hearts to receive what he has to offer. We can then receive the glad tidings of the personified Jerusalem, crying aloud from her mountain-top soapbox. What we find is not an angry God coming in judgment, but a shepherd-like king who carries the lambs in his arms. In fact, we find a baby.

So next time you find yourself letting disappointment or discouragement carry you down to the depths, think of that tenor’s voice pouring like honey over the stage: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.” You might just find yourself riding the tide of a rising valley out of Babylon and into Bethlehem.

Scripture Speaks: Prepare the Way of the Lord

Gayle Somers

shutterstock_34521175

In Advent, if we ask how we can be prepare for the coming of Jesus in this new liturgical year, today’s readings are loaded with answers.

Gospel (Read Mk 1:1-8)

At the beginning of St. Mark’s Gospel, he announces that Isaiah’s centuries-old prophecy of one who will prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah (spliced together here with Ex. 23:20 and Mal 3:1) has finally been fulfilled. John the Baptist was the “messenger” God sent to prepare His people for this great event. Why would the Messiah need someone to “prepare the way of the LORD”? Why couldn’t He just come and get the work of salvation under way? St. Mark tells us that “John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” His somewhat eccentric mission (clothed in camel’s hair and eating locusts) was meant to get the people of Judah thinking about their relationships with God and, in particular, their sins. Why would this be important preparation for the coming of Jesus? If the people had become dulled and indifferent to their sins, if they were smug in the self-righteousness of religious observance, would they ever understand the need of a Messiah who would deliver them from their sin, not from Rome? Without a heartfelt comprehension of how needy and helpless they were to obey God’s commandments, John the Baptist’s description of Jesus as “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29) would fall on deaf ears.

Many people responded to the Baptist’s message. “People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him.” Apparently, his preaching hit a nerve. There was true contrition “as they acknowledged their sins” and were baptized in the Jordan. John knew that he could not remove the sins of the people. His baptism represented a sinner’s repentance—a recognition that he had not loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, nor his neighbor as himself. John’s baptism was simply a preparation for the next thing that had to happen. In addition to repentance, the sinner had to undergo re-birth, too. It is one thing to be sorry for our sins and desire to put them away; it is another to have the sins forgiven and to get a new heart for God. Someone Else would have to do that.

John told the people about this Someone Else: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Once people had gotten as far as repenting of their sins and desiring something better in their lives with God, they would be eager for the baptism with the Holy Spirit. They would be ready for Jesus. John’s work of preparation would be done.

The Gospel’s emphasis on repentance as proper preparation for the arrival of Jesus helps us understand why purple is the liturgical color of Advent. This is a penitential season, as is Lent. It is a fresh opportunity to think about our sins and our great need of a Savior from them. If we don’t spend any time in self-examination in Advent, we are not letting it do its full work in us.

Happily, our other readings will give us the help we might need to avoid missing the meaning of Advent.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, please help me to examine myself during this season of Advent; I want to prepare for You.

First Reading (Read Is 40:1-5, 9-11)

Here is Isaiah’s prophecy of a “voice [that] cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!” The first few verses help us understand that God punished Judah for repeated covenant infidelity by sending the people into Exile. That punishment was to come to an end (“she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins”). The prophet looked ahead to a time of comfort, which would include God’s own coming: “Here comes with power the LORD God.” His appearing would be “like a shepherd” who feeds His flock and cares tenderly for them.

So, how did Isaiah describe the preparation for this revelation of the glory of God? “Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” If we think about this exhortation as a landscaping metaphor for our own soul work in Advent, we might look for where there are valleys in us, a kind of deficiency or dip or sinking in the virtues of our lives. Those valleys must be filled in. What about the mountains or hills, the obstacles of pride or self-righteousness that puff us up? Those need to be flattened. What about the stumbling stones of temptation that trip us up and hinder our way? They need to be removed, leaving a “plain” that is easy to navigate.

If we let Isaiah help us to prepare the way of the LORD in Advent, we will be ready, when our Lord appears, to be gathered into His arms and carried in His bosom.

Possible Response: Lord Jesus, I do want to make the rough places in me plain, an open walk for You into my life. Please show me those rough places.

Psalm (Read Ps 85:9-14)

The psalm describes for us what it is like for God to be with His people, “glory dwelling in our land.” Because God is goodness itself, His presence will mean that “kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.” If these are some of the characteristics of God’s presence among men, fulfilled in the Incarnation of Jesus, what sort of preparation is necessary for us to live that way? Even if we simply use the four words mentioned in this reading—kindness, truth, justice, peace—to examine ourselves, to see if they are alive in us, we will certainly not miss the meaning of Advent this year!

When we think through our lives this way, being willing to act on what we find, we will be ready to say with the psalmist: “LORD, let us see Your kindness and grant us Your salvation.”

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read 2 Pet 3:8-14)

St. Peter gives us wonderful advice about how to observe our season of waiting. We have been waiting a long time for the Second Coming of Jesus, much longer than the people of St. Peter’s day. Yet he had to encourage them not to be impatient. He assured them that any “delay” had only one purpose—more repentance and more conversions! Jesus is simply giving people more time to be ready when He appears. However, He will appear one day, so it is wise to give thought to “what sort of persons ought [we] to be while waiting for and hastening the coming day of God.” St. Peter suggests we should be people of “holiness and devotion…eager to be found without spot or blemish before Him, at peace.” Here again we see emphasis on preparation by self-examination and a commitment to live the life Jesus has won for us.

As we can see, Advent is to be a busy time for Catholics, but not in the way our culture is busy at this time of year. Our preparation for Christmas is entirely inward. When it is thorough, then we will be ready on Christmas Eve to “cry out,” as Isaiah says, “at the top of [our] voice…and say…Here is [our] God!”

Possible response: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me another year in which to be ready for You. Help me resolve to aim for holiness and to be patient in waiting.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 31, Issue 1

<< Sunday, December 7, 2014 >>

Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
2 Peter 3:8-14
View Readings

Psalm 85:9-14
Mark 1:1-8
Similar Reflections

CHRISTMAS COMFORT

"Comfort, give comfort to My people, says your God. Speak tenderly." —Isaiah 40:1-2

The Lord promises to comfort and speak tenderly to us. In the second reading, the Church proclaims in the name of the Lord that "the heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire" (2 Pt 3:10). How comforting! In the Gospel reading, we meet St. John the Baptizer, one of the least comforting characters in the Bible and in history (see Mk 1:2ff). The Lord's ways are not our ways, and His idea of comfort is not our idea of comfort (see Is 55:8).

The Lord does not want to give us the superficial comfort of temporary relief or a bit of encouragement. Rather, the Lord promises to baptize us in the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:8), the Paraclete, the Comforter (see e.g. Jn 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). This divine Comforter will free us from generations of slavery, sin, guilt, and punishment (Is 40:2). Comfort will begin with the Holy Spirit convicting the world and us of sin, justice, and condemnation (Jn 16:8). Then we must let the Spirit lead us from conviction to repentance, confession, and forgiveness. After this, we will personally experience that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor 3:17). In the comfort of the Spirit, we will truly enter into the freedom of the Lord. We will displace the culture of death with a civilization of love and life. Come, Holy Spirit of Christmas and comfort!

Prayer: Father, comfort me Your way.

Promise: "Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God, Who rules by His strong arm." —Is 40:9-10

Praise: Jesus came forth from the tomb; "Truth shall spring out of the earth" (Ps 85:12). Praise the risen Jesus, "the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" (Jn 14:6).