THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT – CYCLE C – 2018  

-          This third Sunday of Advent has traditionally been called Gaudete, from the first Latin word of the entrance antiphon of the Mass.  Gaudete means rejoice.  

-          Joy because Christmas is now at hand.   

-          The celebration of the beginning of our salvation, the birth of Jesus, the Son of God made man in the womb of the Virgin Mary.  

-          Joy because every year we understand a little bit better, what it means that the Word was made flesh.  

-          Let us contemplate the message the readings bring to us. 

FIRST READING

Who is Zephaniah? And what is his message?  

v  He is a  prophet during the kinship of Josiah, the King who restored the true worship, the fidelity to the covenant, the morality among the people of Israel. 

v  Josiah was a King of  Judah, the Southern Kingdom.   

v  He died in battle, and this event discouraged the people, because they understood the death of the king as abandonment from God. The king had worked for the honor of God and now God allowed the enemies to kill the king.   

v  Thus, they went back to the pagan cult and customs. 

v  Zephaniah is the prophet who has reflected and deepened more than any other in the true meaning of the fidelity to the covenant.   

o   Fidelity not made of laws, of fulfilment, but fidelity from the heart, from the truth of every human being before God.   

o   Fidelity made of   relationship with God and with the other human beings.   

o   Zephaniah goes to the root of what causes the sin.   

o   For him the day of Yahweh will be a day of destruction of sin, of burning like in a crucible all the evil, which surrounds the human heart, like gold is purified in the crucible.   

o   But this is not the end, afterwards salvation will come and the rest that will remain will live in humble fidelity.   

ZEPHANIAH 3:14-18

Ø  Zion, Jerusalem, is invited to shout with joy, to celebrate.  

Ø  Why? Because the Lord has driven out the oppressors, and he is “Your God who lives in your midst.” 

Ø  When this things happen, the Lord, will not only be in you, but he will rejoice because of you. 

Ø  God will rejoice over each one of us, because He, who has created us, loves us with a love without limits, unconditional, that does whatever it takes to attract us to him, so that we may be able to rejoice with his love and his peace.   How wonderful are these words!

Ø  It will be a day of celebration, because he will remove from us the sadness and the shame.  

Ø  We are also invited to rejoice, to leap for joy, our salvation has come, and now,   through the liturgy,  we make  his grace among us. 

Ø  Let us be filled with joy, God has come among us, and he continues to live in our midst and within each one of us.   

RESPONSORIAL PSALM:   Is 12:2-6

R.   Cry out with joy and gladness:

for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness:

for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness:

for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Cry out with joy and gladness:

for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

• This week the responsorial psalm is taken from the book of the Prophet Isaiah.
• More than a psalm it is a hymn. 

SECOND READING   Phillippians  4:4-7

§  We are invited to be joyful in the Lord. 

§  That our kindness be visible. If it is true kindness it will be visible.  

§  All of this because the Lord is near, and this is the cause of joy and kindness in our life.  

§  Let us hand over to the Lord our worries, He takes care of us. 

§  The fruit   will be peace.

GOSPEL LUKE 3:10-18

 Last week Luke introduced to us John who was preaching near the river Jordan.      

His message is the answer to three questions and it is also a call to cultivate three attitudes in our life:  

v  The crowds, the people asked: what do we have to do?   

o   Share what you have, it is an attitude of fraternal love with everyone.  

v  The tax collectors, that is those in public office, want also to know 

o   Do not demand,  do not ask more than what is required by the law. Do not steal, do not defraud , it is an attitude of fulfilling our duties honestly, as simple and true human beings.    

v  The soldiers, the man dedicated to war, to defend the country want to know also:  

o   Do not abuse, do not denounce,  do not use your power to oppress.    

v  We can say that what John is telling them is to live their life serving and loving  their neighbors. This will be also the message of Jesus.  

v  Let us do the same, this will be the best preparation, not only for Christmas, but also to go to meet the Lord when he calls us. 

v  John announces the presence of Jesus, as the one whom John is not worthy to untie his sandals.   

v  He will baptize in the Holy Spirit and fire. His baptism will take possession of  our being, like the fire that burns the wood. 

v  This is the way of John to preach the good news.  

 CLARETIAN CORNER

 After 8 days of my profession, the profession of my sisters followed who with my profession felt my fervent. They were mine.

 A few days after my profession, my prelate commanded me in virtue of holy obedience, to organize the original points of the Order, which I wrote in the year 1848, commanding me to write them more extensively as God our Lord had revealed to me to be His Most Holy Will. I was deeply affected by this command, but there was no means to find an excuse. And he told me to do it soon, that when he would come back from the Holy Visit, he would work to send them to Rome. . María Antonia París, Foundress, Autobiography 227-28.

Furthermore, I see that those who are pushing, striving, and begging for these jobs, positions, and preferments, without sparing bribes and other such wiles, are usually the very ones who least deserve them. May God deliver me from ever cooperating in a business that has such evil consequences: all the jobs ill-done, all the deserving and virtuous people passed over, all the pedantry, vice, and immorality enthroned—and all of it by the wicked hand of favor. Yes, I say it, and I say it loudly and clearly, hoping that everyone will take notice and leave me in peace: I have no interest in such things. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder, Autobiography 627.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLARET, Anthony Mary. Autobiography.

PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiography  

RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras-Año C. San Pablo 2005.

SCHÖKEL , Luis Alonso, La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo.

SAGRADA BIBLIA, Versión Oficial de la Conferencia Episcopal Española.

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SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT – CYCLE C – 2018   

«  On our journey of preparation for the celebration of the Incarnation of the Son of God, and his birth in Bethlehem, we encounter John the Baptist. 

«  He invites the people to be prepared for the coming, the first coming of God to his people, in fulfillment of the promises.   

«  In the Second Reading Paul asks his community to be prepared for the Second Coming of the Lord.  

«  The readings are an invitation to rejoice because God walks with his people, he walks with us.  This could be considered as the third one of his comings, the way he comes to us during our life time.   

THE BOOK OF BARUC

      This book is  introduced as the work of the Scribe found in the book of Jeremiah    (32:12-16)

      We do not have the original in Hebrew, what we have is the Greek translation. The Churches belonging to the Catholic and Orthodox traditions consider this book a canonical book, while the those belonging to the Protestant tradition and the Hebrew Bible consider this book as deuteron-canonical or  apocrypha.    

      Due to the diversity of literary styles and forms (prose and  poetry) we can  consider the book as a compilation of texts, which was very frequent by that time. 

      The scenario seems to be the Babylonian exile.

       It is a satire of the pagan cult, mixed with prophetic oracles.  

FIRST READING , Baruc 5;1-9

«  The text transpires optimism, light, joy and peace. 

«  Jerusalem is invited to put on festal garments    

«  Because God will show to all the dwellers of the earth  the splendor of Jerusalem.  

«  Where peace, justice and the glory of the adoration of God, reign. 

«  Jerusalem is invited to see how her children come from the four corners of the earth.  

«  The vocabulary evokes the time of the deportation when they left in tears and shame   

«  God himself prepares the way to Jerusalem for the return of those who were deported 

«  There will be trees on both sides of the road.  

«  God himself will lead them in joy, light, mercy and justice.  

«  This reading can be also, an invitation to the Church community, that experiences times of darkness, as a consequence of her sins; to raise our eyes and   acknowledge the presence of Jesus journeying with us and see the great things he does for us. This will fill us with joy and peace. 

  RESPONSORIAL  PSALM:  Ps  126   

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. 

Ø  This is a psalm of thanksgiving and trust.   

Ø  Psalm, which describes the joy of the return of the captives to Jerusalem.   

Ø  The vocabulary used to describe the return is full of joy, trust, security because God himself leads them.  God also continues to lead each one of us to our homeland, the heavenly Jerusalem, we should also rejoice and trust like those returning from the Babylonian exile. 

Ø  Even the pagan nations praise and sing  because God has done great things for them

The last verse evokes the contrast between the tears of the departure to the exile and the joy of the return.   

SECOND READING:   PhilL 1:4-6. 8-11

ü  Paul shows his joy because of the way the Philippians are cooperating in the proclamation of the Gospel. 

ü  He tells them that he is confident that the One who has begun the good work in them will lead it to completion until the day of Christ (the Second Coming)

ü  Paul  wishes to go personally to  the community of Philippi, but meanwhile he prays for them that 

o   Their love may grow more and more 

o   That their knowledge may grow as well   

o   That they may discern what is worth according to our  faith.

o   That they may be pure and irreproachable for the Day of Christ.     

o   For the glory and praise of God the Father.   

GOSPEL  Lk  3:1-6

      Luke after introducing his Gospel and after describing some events of the childhood of Jesus, all of this considered by Ravassi as the first scene of the Gospel,  introduces us to the second scene.  

      In this scene we meet John the Baptist performing his ministry, his mission of preparing the way.   

      Luke situates John and Jesus in a historical time which he describes with abundance of details

      Why? To let  us know that Jesus is not a figment of our imagination, an object of faith without any historical base, but he is a real person who has lived in our midst. 

      All the characters he mentions may be found in history books.  

      John preaches repentance, conversion and penance.   

      Luke says that in this is fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah wrote  40:3-5 

The favor the Lord gave me in this most happy day, which cost me so many desires and sighs, are already written in a draft of a letter that I will send together with these notes to the most Rev. Dr. Caixal, giving him the account of all my things. So, there is no need to repeat it here. I will say only one thing that I forgot there, and it is that after my7 profession, our Lord made me see how the devil hid in the deepest of hell, and remained there for some days heaping up with one another, pushing one another to be more hidden, biting one another with the greatest rage and furry. Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress,     Autobiography 226. 

Because the queen likes me and thinks so much of me, I know that she would be pleased if I asked any favors of her; but so far I haven't asked her for a single thing and I have no desire to do so in the future. What's that I've just said? No, I didn't put it quite right. There is one favor I have, indeed, asked of her many times and with great insistence: to let me withdraw from Madrid and the court. And it is just this favor, the only one I have ever asked for, that I have so far been unable to obtain. The worst of it is that, although I have some hope of getting it, I can see no way of getting it quickly. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder,  Autobiography 625 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiography.

PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiography  en Escritos

RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras-Año B. San Pablo 2005.

SCHÖKEL , Luis Alonso, La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo.

SAGRADA BIBLIA, Versión Oficial de la Conferencia Episcopal Española.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT – CYCLE C – 2018

INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF LUKE   

      The  liturgical year,  that we are about to begin, on the first Sunday of Advent, will be guided by the Gospel of Luke. 

      Who is Luke?   

o   They say that he is a doctor. He is the only one who mentions Jesus’ sweat of blood   in Gethsemane, and Paul in his letter to the Colossians 4,13 describes him as “the beloved doctor.” 

o   Luke has not known Jesus personally, he says that to write the Gospel he has done a thorough research of the events related to Jesus (Prologue 1,1-4) He is probably a second generation Christian converted from a pagan religion. 

o   His work is composed of the Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles. In the Gospel Luke narrates  the facts about the life of Jesus, and in the Acts he  speaks of the life of the Church after the death of Jesus

o   Luke writes in a very good Greek, the best of the New Testament,.

o   Some say that he painted a portrait of the Virgen Mary. We do not know if he was a painter, but he has described in his Gospel and in the Acts the best picture of Mary: her faith, her loving fidelity to the God of Israel.  

      Through the organization of his Gospel, Luke explains to us how he understands the work of salvation accomplished my Jesus.  

o   The first two chapters are called the “infancy narrative”. They tell us about the events which surrounded the annunciation and birth of the Baptist and of Jesus.  

o   In these two chapters, we find the great themes, which we will find in the rest of the Gospel of Luke.  

o   As for the geography of the narration in the first chapters Luke takes us from Jerusalem to Galilee and from Galilee to Jerusalem again, and again to Galilee. From chapter 9,51 Jesus begins with resolution his journey to Jerusalem to undergo all the events related to his Pascal mystery, for our redemption and salvation. 

o    Without saying it explicitly, Luke tells us that Jesus accomplishes what the prophet Isaiah said  “salvation will come from Jerusalem.”

o   The main characteristic of the Gospel of Luke is this journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. Along the way, Jesus is teaching his disciples.  Again, without saying it explicitly, Luke is giving us the message that Jesus is a teacher, which teaches on the way, teaches us during our life journey. 

During the time of Advent and Christmas the three readings have the same theme.    

FIRST READING  – Jeremiah 33: 14-16 

«  The prophet Jeremiah says that days will come… but he does not say what days are these. They are the days of any season, any person, any community, any nation. The days when God makes himself present in a special way, in a clearer way in our life, in our history.  

«  In those days God will fulfill his promise, what promise? The promise made to the house of Israel, to the house of Judah.   

«  The promise is described with images taken from the agricultural world: a shoot, a bud. 

o   The shoot, the bud speaks to us about what is new, about hope, about future.  

o   This shoot will make justice and will establish the right on earth.  

«  God’s presence is in itself this justice, justice that shows to us and helps us to discern the things as God sees them. Justice, which makes us just in the image of God. 

«  This justice will bring salvation and peace to the city of Jerusalem. To the city of men. Its new name will be, instead of Jerusalem, “God-is-our-justice.”   

«  What a beautiful and attractive description of what God accomplishes in us when we welcome him.   He wants to come,   we need to welcome him in order that these wonderful blessings be a reality in each one of us.  

 RESPONSORIAL  PSALM: Ps 25     

R.   To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior,
and for you I wait all the day. 

R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way. 

R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. 

ü  The psalms are songs used for prayer.   

ü  The diverse authors use symbols to communicate the different feelings of the human heart, from joy to sadness, to sorrow for the sin committed, to the loss of hope in front of the negative reality of life, and the apparent silence of God.  

ü  They have been attributed to King David, because he is the king who sings to God, but he is the author of only some of the psalms, the rest are from unknown authors.  

ü  The psalms are the expression of the faithful Israelite soul. In order to understand them we need to enter into this world of the human heart, and allow us to be immersed into the feelings manifested in the given psalm.  

ü  The psalms are the prayer of today and always.  

ü  The psalms are organized into five books, in the same way that the Torah, the Law, the Pentateuch is organized into five books also:   Ps 1-41; 42-72; 73-89; 90-106; 107-150. At the end of the last psalm in each of the books there is a doxology or praise to God.  

The theme of today’s psalm is the journey, the way that we ask God to show us.  

      The Lord shows the sinner the way and leads the humble through his ways.   

      The way of the Lord is always goodness, and his friendship is with those who fear him and are faithful to  his covenant.   

SECOND READING  1Tes 3:12-4,2

Ø  This letter is in fact the first written document of the New Testament. It was written around the year 50  of the first century AD.    

Ø  In this letter, Paul shows a great optimism about the imminent coming back of the Risen Lord, his second coming. Later on, as  time passes and the Lord does not come back yet, at least in the way that Paul expected, the Apostle and the whole Church began to understand everything related to the second coming, in another way.   

Ø  In the second reading for the First Sunday of Advent Paul says to the community of Thessalonica that he wishes to see them, and prays  the Lord to give to the community: 

o   Faith in the mutual and universal love, this is the central and most important part of the teachings and life of Jesus, but also the hardest for us human beings, who  desire to be like our Master, but so many times we miss the point. Only the Lord is able to love and forgive in and through us.  

o    As I look at our society, I ask myself if, as  followers of Jesus, we have allowed him to truly transform us, through his words that invite us to love like Him.

o   There are a great number of realities to look at, and to question ourselves about our being Christian, I will mention only two that frequently hit me:

§  The African continent, where our brothers and sisters, created by our same Father, are born to die from hunger and want.

§  The caravan of people at the door of our country, in which  find  also a great number of poor, but it is, at the same time, the place of affluence.

Ø   I always remember the words of St. John Paul II in his encyclical (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis 1987) in which he mentions the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16,19-31.) The rich man never mistreated Lazarus,  he simply ignored him (SRS 42); and he added that there are many countries that, like  other Lazarus,  are knocking at the door of the affluent countries.

Ø  What gives comfort in all these situations, is the goodness of so many people, that nobody knows,   who open their heart and, like the widow in the Gospel (Mt 12,41-43) share what they have with their brothers and sisters in need. They are the signs of the glory of God among us, because they help us to acknowledge that God continues to be present among us. 

GOSPEL Luke 21, 25-28. 34-36

ü  The three Synoptic Gospels speak of the Second Coming or Parousia of Jesus. 

ü  In chapter 21 of Luke’s Gospel verses 25 to 28  we have the teaching of Jesus about the last things, written in an apocalyptic style. 

ü  Its images are imprinted in our imagination, many times they frighten us, and  also we ask ourselves: when will these things happen, when will we see these natural phenomena?  

ü  We see many times natural events, some of them are fearful, but they are not related to the second coming.  

ü  Thru these words the sacred authors want to communicate to us the sudden coming of God into our human history to save it, never to destroy it. God does not destroy what he has created with so much love. God seeks us to be with him forever in the eternal embrace.  

ü  Let us think for a moment in our own personal encounter with the Lord. Probably it has not been spectacular, but our arrogance, our pride our security in ourselves, our whole life goes into crisis when God reveals himself to us and we accept him.  

ü  The second part of this Reading is found on verses   34-36

o   Through these words of Jesus, Luke exhorts his community to regain the enthusiasm for the proclamation and living out the Gospel.     

o   The Lord also exhorts us to be vigilant, attentive, and responsible, to avoid a foolish way of life, and then we will be prepared for the events that might occur, and  discover in these events the presence of the Lord.  

o   In many of these unexpected and painful events of our life, the Lord makes him  present, calls with a greater insistence to our door, because in these situations we listen to his call, because we look for his comfort and security.   

LET US BE PREPARED TO WELCOME OUR LORD AND MASTER WHEN HE COMES.   

So, I made my long –awaited profession on August 27 of the same year in the hands of my prelate, to the joy of everybody, and more happiness in my soul-this one cannot be expressed- notwithstanding the difficult preparation with so many cares in the assurance of the foundation, the lower a point  in the fervor of my spirit. With my thought fixed in the moment of pronouncing the holy vows, the moment seemed to me like centuries, and even, with so many serious circumstances met in my profession, none of them was sufficient to disturb the peace and calm of my soul. .Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress.  Autobiography 225.  

Every day at prayer I have to make acts of resignation to God's will. Day and night I have to offer up the sacrifice of staying in Madrid, but I thank God for the repugnance I feel. I know that it is a great favor. How awful it would be if the court or the world pleased me! The only thing that pleases me is that nothing pleases me. May you be blessed, God my Father, for taking such good care of me. Lord, just as you make the ocean salty and bitter to keep it pure, so have you given me the salt of dislike and the bitterness of boredom for the court, to keep me clean of this world. Lord, I give you thanks, many thanks, for doing so. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder.    Autobiography 624.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiografía.

JOHN PAUL II, St. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987.

PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiografía  en Escritos

RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras-Año B. San Pablo 2005.

SCHÖKEL , Luis Alonso, La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo.

SAGRADA BIBLIA, versión oficial de la Conferencia Episcopal Española, 2012.