First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (11:1-10)

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17)

(R) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.

O God, with your judgment endow the king; and with your justice, the king's son. He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. (R)

Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. (R)

According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David. (R)

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. (R)

May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (15:4-9)

Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by the endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praise to your name.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (3:1-12)

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I tell you, God can raise up children of Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

This year as a preparation for the great celebration of the Nativity of the Lord Jesus we are reading and reflecting on the prophecies of the Prophet Isaiah. The prophet lived in the eighth century before Christ. At the time Israel had been divided into two kingdoms. Of the twelve tribes, ten split off at the end of King Solomon's reign and formed the Northern Kingdom called Israel and the other two tribes became the Southern Kingdom called Judah. Prophet Isaiah belonged to the Southern Kingdom. He began his preaching by foretelling destruction upon both nations if they did not repent for their sin and return to God. At around the same time the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians and Judah was being threatened with destruction. In despair and anxiety the people of Judah wanted to make an alliance with Egypt to fight the Assyrians. But Isaiah was encouraging Judah not to rely on Egyptians or Assyrians but to trust in the Lord God and remain faithful to their covenant with Him. He reminded them that God would not forget His covenant made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David.

From the New Testament we learn that the Jews in Jesus' day were expecting a Messiah. However, it was not so from the beginning. From Abraham to King David, the people were only looking for the land promised by God and they found it. After David, they were only hoping for a king who would resemble him who was regarded a good king and mighty warrior. They did not see any of the future kings as the Messiah. Isaiah was the first prophet to see multiple visions concerning the Messiah and announced the good news to the people. In each vision we get a more detailed picture of God's plan and the world to come.

Last Sunday we read the first vision of the prophet concerning Israel's bright future with the coming of the Messiah. The prophet foresaw that in the days to come the Lord's house or the Holy Temple would be rebuilt in Jerusalem and all peoples would go there to worship and listen to the Word of God. In the light of these promises he called on the people to find hope in the present time and walk in the light of the Lord. As a reminder of the significance of our hope in the Lord, last Sunday, we lighted the first purple candle.

In today's text we read about another vision of Isaiah. This time he declares that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David, 2 Samuel (7:14). He refers to a vision in which a "shoot sprouting from the stump of Jesse". A stump is a tree that has been cut down and destroyed. There can be no more life whatsoever in a stump. But the hope is that life will come back to this "destroyed stump". At this time the judgment of God had fallen upon the people of Israel for their disobedience and unfaithfulness to God, and they had been taken captives by the Assyrians. Isaiah predicts that even though they have been almost destroyed a descendant of David will be born as Christ the Messiah and King.

Then the prophet tells us who and what the Messiah is. He enumerates many characteristics of the Messiah. He describes that the Messiah would have the Spirit of God upon him. We hear the prophecy of Isaiah being fulfilled on the day Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, Luke (4:18-20), "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." The prophet further says that He would be full of Wisdom and Understanding, Counsel and Might, and Knowledge and Fear of the Lord. He will be humble. He will protect the weak and the vulnerable. He will judge the poor with justice and fairness. Once again we see all these characteristics being recognized and admired in the person of Jesus Christ. So the prophet predicts that the Messiah would be more than a descendant of David.

And then the prophet describes what the kingdom or world would be like in the days when the Messiah rules. The prophet foresees a peaceful kingdom where animals of all kinds - wolf, lamb, leopard, lion, calf and human beings live and rest together in peace. In other words, the very nature of the world will be changed. It will become the kingdom as it was first created (good and peaceful) whereas right now we live in a fallen world. Finally the prophet predicts that all nations, Jews and Gentiles will seek out the peaceful kingdom.

What is the message for us?

First of all, from this vision we learn that seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus Isaiah foretold that one day Christ the Messiah will be born and He is the Source and the Restorer of Peace. Even though the prophecy of the restoration of everlasting peace or the establishment of a peaceful kingdom still waits to be fulfilled, we realize that to God peace has been important since the beginning of time.

Yes, not only to God but also to us peace is important. Every human heart desperately needs peace. All of us long for peace. There are many reasons why we have no peace. First of all, we have no peace because we have forgotten that we belong to one another. Second, we are constantly anxious and stressed about many things in life - food, job, security, relationships, illnesses, status, and so on. Third, many of us lack peace because of conflicts in our homes and communities. Fourth, many of us live a life of animosity and resentment and hatred toward others. Fifth, each of us in one form or another is a victim of injustice, unfaithfulness and unrighteousness. Therefore, we are reminded that we are all sinners. Not only have we been sinned against, but we have also sinned against others. We need to repent for all these sins so that we may find peace. Otherwise, "there is no peace for the wicked", says Isaiah (57:21).

Friends, do you need peace in your life? If you need enduring and ever lasting peace then come to Christ, the Prince of Peace. He will restore your hopes and aspirations. He will work the miracle of true peace in your heart. He will vindicate you. He will right the wrong. He will be faithful to you even when others are not. The Prince of Peace will give you the peace you long for because He is more than a descendant of David. He is the Son of Man and Son of God. He is Emmanuel - God with us.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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