The Good Word

Most readers of America certainly know that the Season of Lent ends on Holy Thursday afternoon, and that the Easter Triduum includes the three “days” from what we call Holy Thursday (evening) to Easter Sunday (evening).  But living in today’s world, doesn’t the period from Thursday to Sunday seem to us, and to most people, like four days, rather than three?

Moreover, don’t most of us actually think of Holy Thursday and Good Friday as two different days within the Easter Triduum, especially since they involve separate liturgical services?  And don’t we think of the Easter Vigil (with its long, complex, and unusual service) as distinct from Easter Sunday (with Masses that are “normal” in most respects, except for lilies, double alleluias, and maybe a sung dismissal)?  The liturgical schedules of many parishes might subtly reinforce such inaccurate views, especially if services are ..... Read more

These last seven days of Advent are a special time of the Church year, among my favorites on the liturgical calendar.  Not only do the readings for the daily Masses just before Christmas include the beginnings of the Gospel infancy narratives (Matthew 1 on Dec. 17-18; Luke 1 on Dec. 19-24), but we again get to hear the traditional “O Antiphons,” both at Mass and at Evening Prayer.

Most familiar these days from the popular hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” the “O Antiphons” are more than a thousand years old (based on a 9th-century chant).  They have long been used at the very end of the Advent Season as antiphons for the “Magnificat” sung or recited during the Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours.  Since the Second Vatican Council, they have also been adapted (slightly reworded and rearranged) for the “Alleluia Verse” preceding the Gospel reading at the weekday Masses.

Curiously, the first verse of the familiar hymn is actually the last of the traditional “O Antiphons” (for Dec. 23), while the other verses of the hymn (in the order printed in most hymnals) correspond to the Antiphons for Dec. 17 to 22.  Here is an overview of the seven antiphons, with the image used during Evening Prayer in the first line, and the second line showing the beginning of the corresponding verse of the hymn:

Dec. 17: O Sapientia / O Wisdom
Verse 2: O Come, Thou Wisdom, from on highRead more

“Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Reading or hearing these words of St. Paul always make me recall the simple musical round that was popular a few decades ago (composed by whom? when?).  It almost automatically brings a smile to my face and makes me want to break into song—which I sometimes do, even if I’m in the middle of giving a lecture or teaching a class!

While giving an Advent retreat last weekend, I asked the participants to try to frown, feel sad, or be angry as they sang this song. They just couldn’t do it!  But after singing this round a few times with gusto, they were all smiling more broadly and said that they felt much better and happier, almost instantly!

Can you feel my joy and share my enthusiasm, just by reading the above words? Can you imagine how joyful Paul himself must have felt when he wrote those words to the Christian community in ancient Philippi: “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say rejoice!”  Why should they?  Paul goes on to give his reason: “The Lord is near” (4:5b).  For centuries, this scriptural quotation has been used as the Entrance Antiphon for the Mass of the Third Sunday of Advent, giving rise not only to the traditional title for this day (Gaudete Sunday), but also to the traditions of using brighter rose-colored candles and vestments, in contrast to the darker purples of the rest of Advent.

Although “joy” is probably not the fi..... Read more

The Gospel readings for the Second and Third Sundays of Advent always focus on John the Baptist. Since we are again in Lectionary Year A, the two selections are from Matthew 3:1-12 and 11:2-11, respectively. [See my Nov. 27 post for an overview of the whole Season of Advent.]

Given that John the Baptist is mentioned in quite a few other passages of Matthew’s Gospel (3:13-15; 4:12; 9:14-17; 11:12-19; 14:1-12; 16:13-14; 17:10-13; 21:23-27, 32), one might ask: Why were these two passages from chapters 3 and 11 chosen? The short answer: They both deal with John’s role in preparing for Jesus, making them particularly suited for Advent. But how?

On the 2nd Sunday of Advent each year, the Gospel reading presents the preaching of John the Baptist. Although we normally call him "the Baptist," Matt 3:1-12 does not focus on his baptizing activity as much as on other aspects of his ministry: John as Preacher/Prophet, and John as the Forerunner to Jesus.

Contrary to today’s popular misconceptions, biblical prophets do not merely or even primarily "predict" the future. Rather they "speak on behalf of God" (Greek pro-phemi), and they do this through both their words and their actions. Thus, John not only talks like a prophet (preaching a message of repentance), but he also acts like one (as Matthew describes his clothing and diet in the desert). John not only calls all people in general to repent, but he has particularly harsh words for some of the more "religious" people, challenging them to show their repentance in their actions, to "produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance" (3:8), as all other biblical prophets also did.

Near the end of this reading, Matthew portrays John in a related, but slightly different role: that of a forerunner to Jesus. John is quoted as speaking about "the one who is coming after me," who "is mightier than I" (3:11), which makes this selection especially appropriate for Advent. The strong focus on judgment, however ("the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire"; 3:12), might not seem very "Christmassy" to many people. Yet it can remind us that during Advent (and all year long) Christians are not only preparing to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus from 2000 years ago, but are also preparing for the future coming of the Son of Man, the Day of the Lord, the Final Judgment, or whatever else we call the ultimate future that all the Advent readings call to our attention.

On the 3rd Sunday o..... Read more

The First Sunday of Advent, December 2, 2007, marks the start of a new liturgical year, when we will again use the readings from Cycle A of the Lectionary for Mass. Most readers of America are certainly familiar with the basic structure of the three-year Sunday Lectionary, in which the Gospel readings are taken mostly from Matthew in Year A, from Mark in Year B, and from Luke in Year C. But many Christians, even regular church-goers, may not realize that the readings for the four Sundays of Advent also follow a regular pattern. For anyone preaching, selecting music, or helping plan liturgies, it is important to consider the structure of the Advent Season as a whole, rather than looking at the readings for each Sunday in isolation.

What is this pattern of readings? On the First Sunday of Advent each year, we hear some of Jesus’ teachings about the "End Times" (Year A uses Matt 24:37-44; Year B has Mark 13:33-37; and Year C uses Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 – in each case, only very short passages from the long Apocalyptic Discourses in the Synoptic Gospels). The Second and Third Sundays of Advent focus on the preaching of John the Baptist (Matt 3:1-12 and Matt 11:2-11 in Year A; Mark 1:1-8 and John 1:6-8, 19-28 in Year B; Luke 3:1-6 and Luke 3:10-18 in Year C – together comprising most of what the Gospels say about the Baptist). Finally, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent the Gospel reading relates some of the events that immediately preceded Jesus’ birth, including Joseph’s dreams (Year A: Matt 1:18-24), the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel (Year B: Luke 1:26-38), and the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Year C: Luke 1:39-45).

The first readings throughout the Advent Season contain various passages from the prophetic books of the Old Testament (all from Isaiah in Year A) that Christians interpret as prophecies about the coming of the Messiah or the Messianic age. A pattern cannot be described as easily for the second readings (in Year A mostly from Paul’s Letter to the Romans), but prayerful reflection can help one detect some specific thematic connections between the thr..... Read more