“prepare the way of the Lord.”

Removing all obstacles which stand in the Lord’s way preventing him from coming.

Every mountain and hill should be brought low and every valley be lifted up.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Isaiah 11:1-10

From the stump of Jesse,

A shoot will come forth; from his roots a branch will grow and bear fruit.

The spirit of the Lord will rest upon him a spirit of wisdom and understanding,

a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

Not by appearances will he judge, nor by what is said must he decide,

but with justice he will judge the poor and with righteousness decide for the meek.

 

Like a rod, his word will strike the oppressor, and the breath of his lips slay the wicked.

Justice will be the girdle of his waist, truth the girdle of his loins.

The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will rest beside the kid,

the calf and the lion cub will feed together and a little child will lead them.

Befriending each other, the cow and the bear will see their young ones lie down together.

 

Like cattle, the lion will eat hay. By the cobra's den the infant will play. The child will put his hand into the viper's lair.

No one will harm or destroy over my holy mountain, for as water fills the sea

the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. On that day the "Root of Jesse" will be raised as a signal for the nations.

The people will come in search of him, thus making his dwelling place glorious.

 

Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

 Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Romans 15:4-9

And we know that whatever was written in the past, was written for our instruction,

for both perseverance and comfort given us by the Scripture, sustain our hope.

May God, the source of all perseverance and comfort, give to all of you, to live in peace in Christ Jesus,

that you may be able to praise, in one voice God, Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 

Welcome, then, one another, as Christ welcomed you for the glory of God. Look: Christ put himself at the service of the Jewish world,

to fulfill the promises made by God to their ancestors; here, you see God's faithfulness. The pagans, instead,

give thanks to God for his mercy, as Scripture says: Because of that, I will sing and praise your name among the pagans.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 3:1-12

In the course of time, John the Baptist appeared in the desert of Judea and began to proclaim his message:

"Change your ways; the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was about him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:

A voice is shouting in the desert, 'Prepare a way for the Lord; make his paths straight!'

John had a leather garment around his waist and wore a cloak of camel's hair; his food was locusts and wild honey.

People came to him from Jerusalem, from all Judea and from the whole Jordan valley, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan as they confessed their sins.

 

When he saw several Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he baptized, he said to them,

"Brood of vipers! Who told you that you could escape the punishment that is to come? Let it be seen that you are serious in your conversion;

and do not think: We have Abraham for our father. I tell you, that God can raise children for Abraham from these stones!

The ax is already laid to the roots of the trees; any tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire.

I baptize you in water for a change of heart, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I am; indeed, I am not worthy to carry his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. He has the winnowing fan in his hand; and he will clear out his threshing floor.

He will gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff, he will burn in inextinguishable fire."

 

 Lectio Divina

Gospel Reflection ：

"Change your ways; the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

Read: Isaiah foretells the coming of the Messiah, who will not judge by appearances.

Paul prays that the church in Rome will be united in praise of God, welcoming one other.

John the Baptist preaches repentance and conversion of heart.

 

Reflect: The Pharisees hoped that externals and their association with their ancestors would be enough to secure them a place in heaven.

Their idea was that if they were children of Abraham then they would be as holy as him. But John said that this didn't necessarily follow.

It would be a bit like saying, "I met the Pope once," to share in his renown, to make people respect us or like us more.

But who we know or who we're related to makes no difference to who we are, or to the morality of our lives.

John was saying that Pharisees and Sadducees couldn't ride on the back of the reputation of others.

They had to show God they wanted to change their lives for the better. They had to show by good works that they really wanted to be part of the Kingdom.

 

Pray: Pray for a conversion of heart and express your fervent desire to be part of God's Kingdom.

 

Act: Show your belonging to Christ by bearing "good fruit," that is, deeds of mercy to others.