First Reading Baruch 5:1-9
Jerusalem shall see the splendor of God's glory.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6
A song of praise for God's great deeds
Second Reading Philippians 1:4-6,8-11
Paul prays for the Philippians.
Gospel Reading
Luke 3:1-6
John preaches repentance and baptizes in the region of the Jordan.
Background on the Gospel Reading
This week and next, our Gospel readings invite us to consider John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus. John the Baptist appears in the tradition of the great prophets, preaching repentance and reform to the people of Israel. To affirm this, Luke quotes at length from the prophet Isaiah. John baptizes for repentance and for forgiveness of sins, preparing the way for God's salvation.
The three Synoptic Gospels—Mark, Matthew, and Luke—attest to the importance of the baptism of John in preparing for Jesus. Only the Gospel of Luke, however, extends the connection between these two men to their birth. The first two chapters of Luke's Gospel contain the Infancy Narrative, which tells about the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. These stories set the stage for the beginning of Jesus' public ministry in chapter 3.
The evangelist Luke is the author of the Gospel that bears his name, and he also wrote the Acts of the Apostles as a continuation of the story of Jesus and the Church. In these two works, Luke's sense of time and history emerges. He identifies three epochs of salvation history: the time before Christ, the time of Christ, and the time of the Church and the Holy Spirit. In today's Gospel reading, as elsewhere, John the Baptist is presented as the figure who bridges the time before Christ and prepares the way for Christ's own ministry.
In today's Gospel we also note Luke's attention to political and historical detail. Luke shows that salvation is for all people and situated in world events. Therefore, Luke lists the political and religious leaders at the time of John's appearance in the desert. Salvation is understood as God's breaking into this political and social history.
John's preaching of the coming of the Lord is a key theme of the Advent season. As John's message prepared the way for Jesus, we too are called to prepare ourselves for Jesus' coming. We respond to John's message by repentance and reform of our lives. We are also called to be prophets of Christ, who announce by our lives the coming of the Lord, as John did.
July 24 - Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
July 17 - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
June 10 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
July 3 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
June 26 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
June 19 - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year C
June 12 - Solomnity of the most sacred Trinity
June 5 - Pentecost Sunday, Year C
May 29 - The Ascension of the Lord, Year C
May 22 - Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C
14 May - Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C
May 8 - Fourth Sunday of Easter , Year C
1May - Third Sunday of Easter, Year C
April 24 - Second Sunday of Easter, Year C
April 17 - Easter Sunday - Year C : We are an Easter people
April 15 - Good Friday - Year C : In the Cross is our Salvation.
April 14 : Maunday Thursday - Year C : Jesus Our Bread
April 10 - Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Year C
April 3 - Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C
27 March - Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C
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