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Second Sunday of Advent, Year B, First Reading: Extracted from the Prophet Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11 ‘Console my people, console them’ says your God. ‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her that her time of service is ended, that her sin is atoned for, that she has received from the hand of the Lord double punishment for all her crimes.’ A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low. Let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley; then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’ Go up on a high mountain, joyful messenger to Zion. Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem. Shout without fear, say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God.’ Here is the Lord coming with power, his arm subduing all things to him. The prize of his victory is with him, his trophies all go before him. He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes. |
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Second Sunday of Advent, Year B, Responsorial: Psalm 85:9-14 Response: Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his people. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps. |
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Second Sunday of Advent, Year B, Second Reading: Extracted from the Second Letter of Saint Peter 2 Peter 3:8-14 There is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord, ‘a day’ can mean a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but he is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his ways. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up. Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.
Gospel Acclamation Luke 3:4, 6 Alleluia, alleluia! Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight, and all mankind shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia! |
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Second Sunday of Advent, Year B, Gospel Reading: Extracted from the holy Gospel according to Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way. A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. In the course of his preaching he said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’
Sharing: It was the 2nd Sunday of Advent (Year B) on 7 December 2014. The Readings that were read in the Eucharistic Celebrations all over the world on that day are shown above: First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11, Responsorial: Psalm 85:9-14, Second Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-14 & Gospel Reading: Mark 1:1-8. We have extracted the Homilies of Saint Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I based on the aforesaid Readings to share with you, so that you could similarly be encouraged: |
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JOHN PAUL II ANGELUS Sunday, 5 December 1999
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
1. On this Second Sunday of Advent, the Gospel resounds with the voice of John the Baptist, the prophet sent by God as the forerunner of the Messiah. He appears in the wilderness of Judea and, re-echoing an ancient prophecy of Isaiah, cries out: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths". This message has come to us down the centuries and is remarkably current. First of all, "prepare the way of the Lord!". Preparing the way of the Lord this year means being ready to pass through the Holy Door, i.e., to receive the superabundant grace that Christ brought to the world and which the Jubilee Year will make available to all.
In the last three years we have made an intense journey "through Christ - in the Spirit - to the Father". Now the four weeks of Advent represent, so to speak, the "entrance way" to the Great Jubilee. Let us prepare our spirit with prayer, so that this Christmas will find us ready to meet the Saviour who comes!
2. "Make straight his paths". In order to meet our Redeemer, we must "repent", that is, approach him with joyful faith, leaving behind those ways of thinking and living which prevent us from following him completely.
When we hear the Good News of a God who emptied himself for love of us and took on our human condition, we cannot help opening our hearts to repentance; we cannot shut ourselves up in pride and hypocrisy, making it impossible to find true peace. The image of the Holy Door, which we now see close at hand, reminds us that God abounds in tender and merciful love. Like the father in the parable, he is ready to embrace with open arms the children who have the courage to return to him (cf. Luke 15: 20).
This commitment to conversion is based on the certainty that God's fidelity never fails, despite everything negative that we find in and around us. This is why Advent is the season of expectation and hope. This Sunday the Church makes her own the consoling promise of Isaiah: "All mankind shall see the salvation of God" (Gospel acclamation; cf. Isaiah 40: 5).
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4 January 2015 |
