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| “Tree of Jesse” by Jan Mostaert, c. 1500 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Isaiah
11:1-10
But a
shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and
from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The
Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a
Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A
Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a
Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and
his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by
appearance shall he judge,
nor by
hearsay shall he decide,
But he
shall judge the poor with justice,
and
decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He
shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and
with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice
shall be the band around his waist,
and
faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then
the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The
calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a
little child to guide them.
The
cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together
their young shall rest;
the
lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The
baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and
the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There
shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for
the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as
water covers the sea.
On
that day,
The
root of Jesse,
set up
as a signal for the nations,
The
Gentiles shall seek out,
for
his dwelling shall be glorious.
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Commentary
on Is 11:1-10
Isaiah predicts that the line of
David will produce the Messiah with the first verse: “stump of Jesse,”
King David’s father. The stump refers to the line of David being cut back
during the Babylonian Exile. For the first time in scripture, the prophet then
presents the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.[4] (Note also the reference
to fullness. In Hebrew numerology the number “7” is the perfect number.) In the
Septuagint and the Vulgate, the word "piety" is coupled with “fear
of the Lord.”
The description of the gifts of the
Holy Spirit is followed with a list of the just and compassionate
characteristics of the messianic rule. This is followed by a picture of
universal peace under the messiah’s rule. Isaiah sees the return of the
messianic King as predicting that the messiah will come from King David’s line
and will ultimately bring great peace. The term used, “…on all my holy
mountain” indicates this peace is for all the faithful, not just those in
Jerusalem.
CCC: Is 11:1-9 672; Is
11:1-2 712,
1831; Is 11:2 436,
536, 1286
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his
time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God,
with your judgment endow the king,
and
with your justice, the king’s son;
He
shall govern your people with justice
and
your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and
fullness of peace for ever.
Justice
shall flower in his days,
and
profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he
rule from sea to sea,
and
from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and
fullness of peace for ever.
He
shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and
the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall
have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the
lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and
fullness of peace for ever.
May
his name be blessed forever;
as
long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him
shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all
the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and
fullness of peace for ever.
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Commentary
on Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Psalm 72 is one of the Royal Psalms. In this selection, we hear an
echo of the justice and peace of the King’s rule that is reiterated in Isaiah’s
prophecy (see Isaiah 11:1-10).
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Gospel: Luke
10:21-24
At
that very moment he (Jesus) rejoiced (in) the holy Spirit and
“I
give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for
although you have hidden these things
from
the wise and the learned
you
have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes,
Father, such has been your gracious will.
All
things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one
knows who the Son is except the Father,
and
who the Father is except the Son
and
anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning
to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed
are the eyes that see what you see.
For I
say to you,
many
prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but
did not see it,
and to
hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
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Commentary
on Lk 10:21-24
Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit because his disciples have
understood his role of Messiah in the kingdom. He restates his relationship as
Son of God: “No one knows who
the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone
to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." The inference here is
that we must approach our faith with “childlike” belief and trust in order to
achieve true understanding.
Earlier in this chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel, Jesus sent out the
seventy (two). Just prior to this selection (Luke
10:17-20), they returned and reported great success in
doing what the Lord asked of them. These verses are his prayer of thanks to the
Father. The Lord gives thanks that God has seen fit to reveal his identity and
pass on his power to these disciples of his. It is reiterated that the Kingdom
of God shall be revealed to the childlike (see also Luke
8:10). Turning to his disciples, he tells them that the victory
they are witnessing is the Good News, hoped for by prophets and kings
throughout history.
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Reflection:
As we
hear the words of St. Luke today, how Jesus is caught up in the Holy Spirit and
begins to pray, thanking God for his aid in the Lord’s mission, we can’t help
but remember Jules Verne’s Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
This great science fiction epic was written in 1870. At one point in the
story, the infamous Captain Nemo was asked if he intended to share his great
scientific discoveries with the rest of the world. He informed his
prisoner/narrator, Professor Aronnax, that he would never do that because the
world was not ready for so great a power. This story is recalled because Jesus
rejoices for the opposite reason.
While
the great knowledge and power of the mythical antagonist in the novel needs to
be kept secret, the great knowledge and power of the Lord must be spread, so
that all might have access to it and find hope as a result. This Advent season,
as we look forward with hope to the Lord’s coming, we are reminded that this
anticipation and hope are not shared by all of those we meet. Incredible as it
seems to us, many of our colleagues, friends, and acquaintances think of this
season only for the presents they must buy, and the orgy of commercialism that
infuses the economy of the country with great strength because of all the money
that is spent. They do not realize that our Advent is first devoted to
preparing for the Lord’s return, when he will come again in glory!
In the
Gospel, the Lord rejoices because God’s word has reached so many others. He
thanks his Father that their ears have been opened by the words and works of
his followers. This is the legacy we have been handed. As we prepare ourselves
to join the Lord when he comes again, and to celebrate the Nativity of the
Lord, we recall that we too are asked to joyfully make known the reason for the
season (cliché but appropriate). Children understand this very easily, but they
must hear it first. Adults need to overcome their cynicism and adopt a
childlike attitude that recalls the Christmas proclamation: “Joy to the World!”
We
hear St. Luke relay the story once more of how the Lord was ecstatic over the
success of the seventy-two in proclaiming the Good News. Now it is our turn. We
must not, through our actions, seem to be like Captain Nemo, keeping the great
promise to ourselves. We are called to share that glorious message, and in
sharing the joy of that announcement, it will be returned to us, and we move
closer to the promised peace of Christ.
Pax
[1]
The picture used today is “Tree of Jesse” by Jan Mostaert, c. 1500
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
[4]
From the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, paragraph 1831 “The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom,
understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They
belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the
virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily
obeying divine inspirations. “Let your
good spirit lead me on a level path.(Psalm 143:10) For all who are led by the Spirit of God
are sons of God . . . If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs
with Christ.”( Romans 8:14,17.)
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