The first Sunday of Advent drew our attention to the reality of our expectation. The Lord comes, but it is not for us something that should cause anxiety but hope. The second Sunday of Advent gave us the figure of John the Baptist who as a type of the Church proclaims the coming of the Lord. The Church is the Baptist of the last days, preparing the world for the Lord’s Parousia. This Sunday, called “Rejoice Sunday”, is like the third watch of the night, the time when the cock begins to crow announcing the nearness of dawn. The liturgy invites us to rejoice but also to conversion and to produce “fruits of repentance.”
Relevant Articles
Guide to the Reading of the Text
- Read the text of Luke beginning with 3:7 which sets the context for the question “What should we do?” in v. 10. The Baptist warns the crowds who wanted to get baptized that the gesture effects nothing unless they show fruits of repentance. Hence the question of the crowds: “What should we do?”
- Read verses 11-14 and study what John the Baptist tells particular groups how they are to bring forth fruits of repentance:to those with extra tunics, to tax collectors and to soldiers.
- Verses 15-18 are about the relationship of John the Baptist to the Christ. Compare John’s declaration about the Christ to what one finds in Mark (1:7-8), Matthew (3:11-12) and John 1:24-27.
Comparing the Readings
The liturgical readings are heavy with the expectation of the nearness of the Lord. John the Baptist announces the One Mightier than He, whose role as Redeemer he is not worthy to claim. Paul tells the Philippians that they should rejoice since the Lord is near. He admonishes them to live according to their status as Christians and to pray that they may have the peace that only God can give.
Suggestions for the Lesson
The joy of Advent is just one part of the picture. The other part of the picture is that of conversion, of living according to one’s baptism and the fruits of one’s Christian life. On the third Sunday of Advent, Paul tells the Philippians to make their kindness known (Philippians 4:5 NAB)
The Catechism associates Luke 3:11 to the works of mercy:
2447 The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God:
He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?
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