Catholic Handicapped Sunday

First reading: Bar. 5:1–9

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name. For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.

Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God. Led away on foot by their enemies they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones. For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God. The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God’s command; for God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.

Second reading: Phil. 1:4–6,8–11

Brothers and sisters: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Gospel: Lk. 3:1–6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

In other words

by Fr. Randy Flores, SVD (Sacred Heart Parish, Kamuning, Quezon City)

Among the prophets of Advent, Baruch is the least known. His oracles are found in a book with the same name located after the book of the Lamentations. In tradition (like in St. Augustine), Jeremiah is considered as the author of these three books.

Baruch was Jeremiah’s secretary. Modern scholarship, however, dates authorship to be much later than Jeremiah—that is, probably, during the Maccabean period (second half of the 2nd century B.C.).

The Babylonian Exile (587 BCE) is the setting of the book (read Baruch 1:1 and Jer. 29:1) and the purpose of its writing is clearly to help the Jews to put their faith into practice even if they are far away from their country (diaspora). The foundation of this faith is the Torah which is Wisdom.

The First Reading for this Sunday comes from the last chapter of the book. The prophet delivers an oracle of hope for Jerusalem in exile. Jerusalem is like a widow donning mourning clothes but now she is told to take that away and put on instead the “splendor of glory” and “mantle of glory” from God. Mourners normally put ashes on their heads, but for Jerusalem, she is now to place on her head “the diadem of the glory of the Eternal One.” Not only that, God will also give a new and eternal name: “the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship” (eirene dikaiosunes kai doxa theosebias in Greek; beautifully rendered to Filipino by Fr. Abriol as kapayaan ng katarungan at kaluwalhatian ng kabanalan).

Jerusalem who witnessed the tragic exodus of her people led away on foot to exile now sees them coming back to the city being “carried high [by God] in glory as on royal thrones.” God is now both their leader and throne-bearer. As the people return to Jerusalem, God transforms nature including the forest trees that perfume and provide shade to the returnees.

Reading this text, we cannot help but be awed by the incredible description of hope for God’s people. During Advent, let us hear the voice of Jesus in the message of hope by the prophet Baruch. As individuals, we have a lot of sufferings and crosses that we need to bear; as a community of believers, a Church, we have a lot of trials.

Let us not lose that hope that sustained the people of God in exile. Let us instead persevere “to be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Second Reading) until “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Gospel Reading).