Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

“Tree of Jesse”
by Jan Mostaert, c. 1500

Readings for Tuesday of the First Week of Advent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Isaiah 11:1-10
 
On that day,
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 seven 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). The psalm captures the essence of social justice found throughout the Old Testament (see Isaiah 1:12-17; Amos 5:14-15, 24).  These themes add up to the biblical concept of shalom (peace and well-being). [5]
 
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Gospel: Luke 10:21-24
 
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“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 belief with “childlike” faith and trust in order to achieve that level of 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. We are given in today’s passage 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) and 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.
 
CCC: Lk 10:21-23 2603; Lk 10:21 1083
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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

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[1] The picture used today is “Tree of Jesse” by Jan Mostaert, c. 1500.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[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 republication 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.”
[5] The Word Biblical Commentary, Psalms 1-50, Volume 19 (Thomas Nelson, Inc. © 2004), 225.