God bless us and may the Virgin protect us!

Here is a brief commentary on the readings for next Sunday [1 December 2024].

First Reading: Jeremiah 33, 14 - 16. 

*The language of hope 

"Behold, the days will come when I will fulfil the promise of happiness that I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah". We find these words in the first reading from the book of Jeremiah (33:14-16); however, they are considered later than the time of the prophet and believed to be an addition to the Septuagint version dating from around 250 BC; the author would probably be a disciple, a spiritual son of Jeremiah. The speaker is therefore not Jeremiah, but this spiritual son of his who, at a time when despair reigns for the future of God's people, recalls the words of the prophet Jeremiah, who lived several centuries earlier. Jeremiah had then prophesied thus: "I will bring forth for David a shoot of righteousness" (23:5; 33:15). In this prophecy there are two symbols: the sprout and the name of the new king linked to "righteousness". The sprout is a symbol that suggests a completely free beginning on God's part and refers to the birth of a new king, a descendant of David in Jerusalem. At that time it was difficult to believe this promise announced by Jeremiah because, after David's death, his dynasty had practically died out. Then there had been the Babylonian deportation, Jerusalem occupied, the Temple destroyed, the country devastated and the population decimated. Among the survivors almost all were taken prisoner and exiled to Babylon, so that the small Jewish colony seemed destined to die far from its own land. Many anxieties arose: would Israel disappear from the map and where would the promises of the prophets end? Had not the prophet Nathan announced to David and his descendants an eternal kingdom with a king who would establish security, peace and justice for all? Many were the problems associated with the destruction of the Davidic monarchy, and divisions and quarrels arose whereby few people remained faithful to the Torah. In the face of so much anguish, there was a need to instil hope and this is the reason why there was an insistence on emphasising God's faithfulness to his promises, which is the foundation of hope. To the many discouraged people who feared that Israel would not advance towards the Kingdom of God, the prophet replied: Have faith, believe, for it is precisely in times of darkness that faith must stand firm. And so it is in our lives. Never give in to discouragement because when God promises, he always fulfils his plans of salvation. We know neither when nor how, but God always intervenes. The language of hope is a challenge to reason and an act of faith, a great lesson in trust and a fine example of a prophetic word, proclaiming light even and especially in the darkest days. We are all at risk when we allow ourselves to be dominated by the anxiety of discouragement in the face of difficulties, and in these situations we allow ourselves to be assailed by thoughts such as: if God exists, why does he not intervene to bring peace, harmony and fraternity to the world? Why is the Kingdom of God taking so long to come about? Then, as in all times, we must continue to hope and base the language of hope on two invincible truths: firstly, the certainty that God never fails in his promises, and secondly, that God always brings his plans to fruition despite all obstacles. The other symbol is the name that is in the closing sentence of the passage: 'The Lord is our righteousness' (Sedeq Yah), which is the name of King Sedekiah 'the righteousness of God'. This last king of Judah was deported to Babylon, they killed his sons and blinded him with cruelty and it was thought that all this happened because he had not honoured his mission and had not listened to the prophet Jeremiah. The prophetic text here reverses the meaning of the name Sedekiah which means Justice of God expressed in the phrase "The Lord is our righteousness", to indicate that instead the true King will arise who will embody the biblical justice concerning the integral salvation of man and humanity and offer it to the disappointed, suffering and weary people: it will be faithful, great and lasting.

Responsorial Psalm 24 (25), 4-5, 8-9, 10. 14  

*Finding one's way

"The Lord shows sinners the right way" (v.8).  This verse introduces us into the context of Psalm 24/25: we are in a penitential celebration at the Temple in Jerusalem, and the language of the path is typical of penitential psalms, because sin is a wrong way and conversion requires a genuine turning back. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses called for walking in all things in the way the Lord has prescribed (5:32-33). Those who repent recognise that they have taken wrong paths and beg God to lead them back to the right path. But what is the right path? It is the observance of God's Law, and to emphasise this, this psalm was composed in a very particular way. It is in fact an alphabetical psalm, intentionally structured as an acrostic and, controlling the column of letters, forming the entire Hebrew alphabet from top to bottom. This way of composing psalms, called alphabetical, is in practice a profession of faith and always revolves around the same theme: Israel's love for the Torah, the love of and for God is the only way to happiness: love for the Torah is "the alphabet of happiness". For the believing Jew, the Law is not a command but a gift from God, a sign of his tenderness towards all humanity. In fact, the term Law (Torah) is not derived from a root meaning "to prescribe" but from the verb "to teach" and the theme "teach me your ways" is very present in this psalm. If God has given us the Law, it is for our happiness. The Law is the instruction manual of our freedom to be happy, the code of the way that leads us to happiness: "All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his precepts" (v.10).  "Lord teach me your paths" (v.4). The alphabetical method is a way of confirming attachment to the Law and a true desire to follow it; a profession of faith and at the same time a resolution. Especially after the return from Babylon, in the penitential celebration the people acknowledged their unfaithfulness to the Covenant; they were aware that the misfortunes that had occurred were the consequence and asked for forgiveness. At the same time, they were certain that faithfulness is only possible in the future with God's help, and they were almost anxious about not being able to do so, asking for help for this, as we read in the last verse of the psalm: "O God, deliver Israel from all its anguish" (v.22). Let it not be forgotten that for the Jews the greatest sin is idolatry and the first conversion consists in denying idols to return to the one living God. Prompted by Psalm 24/25, we too, at the beginning of Advent, decide to walk a penitential path that is preparatory to true joy; joy that the celebration of Christmas will give us a foretaste of.

Second Reading: from the First Letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians 3,12-4,2 

* Advent is an opportunity to put our lives into perspective 

When about twenty years after Christ's resurrection, Paul arrived in Thessalonica, a trading port and capital of the province of Macedonia under Roman rule, there were many foreigners and a large Jewish community. His preaching was successful as we read in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 17:3-4) with Jews and pagans whom he invited to reject idols. This latter success, however, aroused the wrath of the Jews hostile to Jesus, to the point of forcing Paul to flee. Anticipating that persecution by the Jews would ensue, some time later Paul sent Timothy to the fledgling Christian community in Thessalonica to sustain their faith so that none would waver, and Timothy returned with the 'good news' of their perseverance in faith and love.  The verses of today's passage of the letter speak of Paul's emotion when he learned the news, after which he invites the Thessalonians to continue on the right path until the day of Christ's return and specifies: "You know what rules of life we have given you from the Lord Jesus" (3:12-4:2,) as if to say: you know how to walk and so walk like this.  Yesterday as today, the Christian challenge is to orientate one's entire existence in the perspective of waiting for the return of Christ, the day when the Lord Jesus will come with all his saints. This exhortation of Paul is topical in a society like ours, which seems to have lost the direction of its march.  The Christian, according to the apostle's teaching, does not remain staring at the past, but looks to the One who is our future and who gives meaning to the present: "May the Lord make you grow in love to make your hearts firm and blameless in holiness before God our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" (3:13). And this is because to know God means in truth to love. As St John writes, God is love and he alone is able to make us holy in love (1 John 4:8).

Gospel according to Luke ( 21, 25-28, 34-36)

 *The apocalyptic style 

The liturgical year B ended last Sunday with the apocalyptic literary genre and the new year C opens with the same style. Apocalyptic discourse is frightening and the term 'apocalypse' has a bad reputation being synonymous with horror, whereas in truth, in the biblical context, it expresses the opposite. It is therefore necessary to bear this observation in mind beforehand, remembering that the story should never be taken literally. The Greek verb apocaluptô means "to lift the veil" and in Latin is translated as "revelare" that is, to reveal. It may be useful to reflect briefly on this literary genre, of which we highlight at least four particular characteristics: 

1.The apocalyptic genre deals with writings of distress, wars, occupation by foreigners, persecution as in the book of Daniel (2nd century BC). It presents enemies and persecutors as terrible monsters and it is natural that, for this reason, 'apocalypse' becomes synonymous with frightening events. 

2.Revelation also presents words and writings of consolation to strengthen the faithfulness of believers and encourage them to hope and endure in the face of martyrdom since we are in times of harsh persecution. 

3.Revelation also takes on a different meaning in biblical texts because they reveal the hidden side of history by announcing God's final victory and in this light invite us to look to the future with confidence. The descriptions of cosmic changes are in fact symbolic images of the reversal of situations with a single message: in every situation God always has the last word. 

4.Finally, the apocalyptic style in each text is an invitation to active vigilance, rejecting passive and inert waiting, so that one must live each day in the light of hope.

 These four types are all present in today's gospel. 

1. We see times of distress described with frightening signs to indicate that the present world is passing away (vv. 25-26); 

2. a word of consolation emerges, inviting endurance: "Your deliverance is at hand (v.28)

 3. The word of Christ reveals the hidden meaning of history by announcing the coming of the Son of Man (v.27).  The expression "Son of Man" indicates what Daniel calls "the people of the saints of God" (Dan 7:12). After the resurrection, the disciples realised that the title Son of Man that Jesus gives himself is because he is both man and God, the first-born of the new humanity, the Head that makes us one Body. At the end of history, we will all be as "one man, grafted into him and thus "the people of the saints of the Most High". 

4. Finally, Revelation also means that active vigilance is indispensable: "Rise up and lift up your heads ... watch yourselves ... keep watch at all times by praying" (v.36).  

In the Gospel two ways of living are highlighted: those who do not believe resign themselves to an inevitable destiny and unfortunately some live practically like this; the believer/faithful instead do not let themselves be surprised because they know the ultimate meaning of history, and they are certain that liberation is at hand and evil will be defeated forever. And this is the Christian challenge, testimony/martyrdom required of those who want to be disciples of the crucified and risen Christ. At the beginning of Advent, these biblical texts spur us on to begin a new liturgical year with watchful expectation, and accompanying us will be St Luke, the evangelist of mercy, joy, the universality of salvation, with a special focus on the figure of Mary, prayer and the action of the Holy Spirit.

Happy Advent!

+Giovanni D'Ercole