Readings for Sunday December 11 2011

Third Sunday of Advent

Ever struggle with having meaning and purpose in your life?  This Gospel passage shows us a person who was confident and sure of his purpose in life.  Now that we are just over a week away from celebrating Christ’s birth at Christmas, the Church continues to focus us on the message of St. John the Baptist, a man who found his identity completely in Christ. St. John is a model for all of us that by our actions and words our lives should point to Christ, not ourselves.  St. John obviously caused a stir among the religious leaders of his day.  He had the big-wigs from Jerusalem visit him to find out what he was doing.  There were priests, Levites, and Pharisees who came to him, and if St. John was drawing their attention, then he was doing something noteworthy.  These religious leaders must have been a little disappointed by the responses St. John gave them.  He didn’t talk about himself, nor did he offer anything that was going to make the 5 o’clock news.  He simply put the focus on the one coming after him, Jesus.  St. John is doing what all the Old Testament prophets did in pointing people to God, not to their own work as prophets.  In turn, he teaches us what we need to do with our lives, that is to put the focus on Christ and please Him above all things.  This is certainly an ‘easier said than done’ issue, because often times we struggle with being a Catholic 24/7, being a Catholic all the time and in all places, not just at Mass on Sunday.  St. John shows us that our entire lives are about Christ, and we can have true joy if we point ourselves in the direction of Christ.  This is difficult in our world today because we are pulled in so many different directions. We must constantly order our priorities to Christ so that other things in life won’t take away our love for Him.  Preparing for Christmas is ultimately about getting our hearts turned to Jesus, not spending excess time in holiday preparations.  Our prayer and challenge this Christmas is to turn over to Jesus all the areas in our lives that don’t point to Him, that don’t give Him glory and honor.  For some of us, that might require drastic change; for others, it is just a matter of some daily tweaking.  Whatever our case, we must trust that God wants the best for our lives and invites us to be people of action, people who are willing to take a stand for Christ, even if that makes us look unpopular.  So let us ask Christ for the strength to be more like St. John the Baptist, testifying with our lives that Christ is the light, the One to whom we are invited to commit our lives.  If we ignore this invitation, then we will fail to prepare for Christmas.

Discussion Questions

1. St. John the Baptist challenges us to always have our actions and words point to Christ and His glory.  How can you apply this challenge to your daily life, in your family, on the job, at school, etc.?

2. When was the last time that someone asked you to give a reason for your faith in Christ?  Describe.

3.  (As we did last week:) Make it a point this week to invite a fallen-away Catholic back to Mass, and/or to invite a non-Catholic to Mass.  Make a list of at least three people you could invite this week to church.  Have you been able to invite anyone back to Church this Advent?  Why/why not?  Did they come back to Church?

              

The first reading is taken from the book of Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11. They were uttered to the exiles in Babylon as consolation and promise which were fully and truly realized only when Christ the Messiah came. Christ applied the first two verses of this text to himself when he first preached in the synagogue of Nazareth.

1^st Reading               Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God. I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.

Question for discussion:

1. Who does “me” refer to in verse one?
2. What good news is the prophet bringing to the lowly, broken hearted, and grief stricken?

The second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 5:16-24. He exhorts his converts to thank God always for the gift of faith which they have received. They must respect, while testing, the gifts of the Spirit.

2^nd Reading              1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil. May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it. 

Question for discussion:

Of the various commands, which are most relevant to your parish? Your youth group?  Your

School?  You? Which do you feel you are already practicing well? Which one will you work on

this week? How?

Gospel                        John 1:6-8, 19-28

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent.  They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Question for discussion:

1. Have you ever been embarrassed by mistaking a stranger for an acquaintance? What happened?
2. Who “Makes Straight the Way of the Lord in your Life”?
3. What does Baptism mean to you?
4. Who can I turn to for support when I am attacked for living like John the Baptist?

IHN,  I remain your friend in Christ, tommyk