Reading 1
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.
Reading II
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.”
Meditation: Philippians 1:4-6,8-11
This is my prayer: that your love may increase. (Philippians 1:9)
As a cloistered nun, Thérèse Martin knew that she would never become a missionary. Still, she wanted to do something great for God, so she decided to devote herself to loving other people as Jesus loved them. In the simplest ways, she found opportunities to love—from smiling at a cranky nun to silently forbearing when another sister splashed her with laundry water. Love became her “little way” to God.
Thérèse’s “little way” offers one powerful way to live out St. Paul’s prayer for the Philippians—that their love for one another would increase so that they could become “pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10). Paul knew that the more we love our brothers and sisters, the closer we get to God.
So the challenge in today’s reading is to learn how to recognize opportunities to love so that we can become holy. For example, we can listen more attentively as our spouse shares about his or her day. We might make it a point to compliment our children when they act generously. We can refrain from criticizing a relative whom we don’t understand. We can decide to forgive when someone hurts us instead of letting resentments build. Perhaps, like Thérèse, we can reach out in love to that very person we find most irritating.
There’s no doubt that love can be demanding, but when we try to love as Jesus loves, we are blessed. Our actions not only please God, they can also heal relationships, foster family unity, and even lead others to Christ.
It’s amazing that little acts of love can have such far-reaching, even eternal, ramifications. But that only goes to show how influential anyone can be when they try to stay close to the Lord. May the Spirit open our eyes to the marvel of our calling as Christians!
“Jesus, I know that every act of love builds your kingdom on earth. As I prepare for your coming at Christmas, inspire me to love others as you love me.”
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