First Reading Commentary
To sum up what the prophet Isaiah is sharing
with his listeners here is to not be dejected because the Babylonian captivity
has ended; and what will follow is the coming of the long awaited Messiah.
An interesting note on translation: for the word
“service” found in the second sentence of this Reading, the Latin Vulgate uses
the word “malitia” which means
“wickedness” referring to the evil Jerusalem has witnessed and experienced. Other ancient copies translate as “warfare”. What is likely the true meaning here is
“servitude” as it applies to military service.
The New Vulgate uses the word “militia”
which does indeed mean “military service”.
In this Reading also are those familiar words of
prophecy that we associate with John the Baptist. The images like wasteland, highway, valley,
mountain, hill, rugged land, plain, rough country and a broad valley seemingly
desires to turn the readers of this passage towards thoughts of a new Exodus;
and like the first Exodus from Egypt, this prophesied new Exodus is also
accompanied by a manifestation of the glory of God.
As this Reading closes, a literal crying out to
the cities of Judah is called for because God has returned with the Jewish
exiles. Prophetically, this points to
the Incarnation of Christ, and His mission as Chief Shepherd of the flock.
Second Reading Commentary
This Reading
It’s very difficult to be absolutely certain
about our own salvation. Even the spiritual
greats like Saint Pio of Pietrelcina and Saint John Paul II were insecure about
it. Fortunately, God’s infinite mercy
and His love for humanity is patient with us, not willing that any of us should
perish, but that all of us would return to Him by a sincere repentance. All things in the world shall pass in a short
time; therefore, it is not prudent to devote a lifelong credence to any of
those things. Holiness is measured in
our love for eternal things. In this life,
that translates into zeal for souls. We
eagerly “await new heavens and a new earth.”
May our Lord also find in that eagerness, unblemished souls.
Gospel Commentary
The word “Gospel” is a Saxon word which translates as “God’s spell” or “good spell,” that is, “God’s word”
or “good speech.” In modern terminology
this all translates to mean the Good News of the coming of Jesus Christ and the
glad tidings of salvation brought by Him.
In the beginning of this Gospel, Saint Mark confirms
the authority of the prophets, in this case, Isaiah. Most likely he does this to convince his
readers to willingly accept the story that is to follow since they too accepted
the authority of the prophets.
Saint John the Baptist is portrayed as a
messenger possessing extraordinary sanctity; but what is meant by “he will
prepare your way” is that John the
Baptist has been chosen to prepare the minds and hearts of the people of God to
receive their Messiah; and he prepares God’s people by his baptism, a call to
repentance and by his powerful preaching.
There have been other ideas bounced around over
the centuries that portrayed John the Baptist as an angel because of what has
been written by the prophet Malachi: “Behold, I send my angel, and he shall
prepare the way before My Face” (Malachi
3:1).
“A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare
the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.’”
The prophet Isaiah spoke these words on behalf of the deliverance of the
Jews from Babylonian captivity; but this was a figure of the eternal freedom of
humanity that would come through Jesus Christ.
Most practitioners of the Law and the Prophets of that day expected that
Elijah would return to prepare the way of the Messiah but it was John the
Baptist who was raised up by God in the spirit and power of Elijah, to proclaim
the coming of Jesus Christ.
John’s baptism could not wash away sins. He clearly professes this by saying that he
baptizes “with water”; but the Messiah will baptize “with the Holy Spirit.” John also needed to clear up any
misconceptions about himself because many thought he was the Messiah. Without a baptism of the Holy Spirit, the
remission of sins is not possible.
John’s baptism is for repentance; that is, the baptized formally profess
a desire to change their sinful ways. This
would also require a rebuilding, so to speak, of the interior life. John, perhaps tactically, proclaimed the
awaited Messiah as One Who was mightier than him. He doesn’t outright say that the Messiah is
the Son of God, although by prophesying a baptism by the Holy Spirit, he did at
least intimate it. Hinting at it may
have been by design because the people’s hearts possibly were not fully
prepared to have that bombshell dropped on them.
The Messiah’s form of baptism compared to that
of John’s, who was not among the chosen Twelve and thus not an ordained priest
of Christ, confirms that only God can bestow upon us the grace of the Holy
Spirit.
