{"id":476,"date":"2014-12-07T11:01:22","date_gmt":"2014-12-07T16:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/?p=476"},"modified":"2014-12-07T11:12:31","modified_gmt":"2014-12-07T16:12:31","slug":"catholic-mass-second-sunday-of-advent-12-7-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/catholic-mass-second-sunday-of-advent-12-7-14\/","title":{"rendered":"CATHOLIC MASS: Second Sunday of Advent 12.7.14"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-126 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bible-200.jpg\" alt=\"Bible-200\" width=\"200\" height=\"133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bible-200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Bible-200-150x99.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>&#8220;John the Baptist appeared in the desert\u00a0proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.\u00a0&#8230;\u00a0he proclaimed:&#8217;One Mightier than I is coming after me.\u00a0I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His sandals.\u00a0I have Baptized you with water; He will Baptize you with the Holy Spirit.&#8217;<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/readings\/120714.cfm\" href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/readings\/120714.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">Mass Readings 12.7.14<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/isaiah\/40:1\">IS 40:1-5, 9-11<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/psalms\/85:9\">PS 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/2peter\/3:8\">2 PT 3:8-14<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/1:1\">MK 1:1-8<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"http:\/\/www.masstimes.org\/\" href=\"http:\/\/www.masstimes.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Find a Mass: MassTimes.org<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<a title=\"http:\/\/www.thecatholicdirectory.com\/\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thecatholicdirectory.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Find a Mass: TheCatholicDirectory.com<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<a title=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/dailymass\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/dailymass\" target=\"_blank\">VIDEO: Daily Mass \u2013 Toronto<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<a title=\"http:\/\/www.catholictv.com\/shows\/daily-mass\" href=\"http:\/\/www.catholictv.com\/shows\/daily-mass\" target=\"_blank\">VIDEO: Daily Mass \u2013 Boston\/Catholic TV<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; <a title=\"https:\/\/thesundaymass.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/thesundaymass.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">VIDEO: Sunday Mass &#8211; Passionists<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/player.theplatform.com\/p\/A4vtPC\/KlNx5mFFnFPS\/embed\/select\/media\/0gGAvLSEZ_Uk\" width=\"100%\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" seamless=\"seamless\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">Your browser does not support iframes.<\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;\">\r\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- faith-wp-respons-2 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3210937145558786\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5586646142\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/111770654\" width=\"100%\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/isaiah\/40:1\">FIRST READING: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Prophet Isaiah foretells what later will be fulfilled by the arrival of Saint John the Baptist:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A voice cries out:\u00a0In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!\u00a0Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If we reflect on what it means for God to be traversing a desert, we can think of several possibilities. What appears to be desolate can be brought to life by the loving Power of God. In addition, human earthly society can set up all sorts of false structures and false meaning to be shed by those seeking God and seeking what is actually good and true, and the desert represents a stepping away from the sinful follow of human society.<\/p>\n<p>In another part of today&#8217;s First Reading, God is seen as Powerful, yet also as a Loving Shepherd:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Here comes with Power\u00a0the Lord GOD,\u00a0who rules by His Strong Arm;\u00a0here is His reward with Him,\u00a0His recompense before Him.\u00a0Like a shepherd He feeds His Flock;\u00a0in His Arms He gathers the lambs,\u00a0carrying them in His Bosom,\u00a0and leading the ewes with care.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/psalms\/85:9\">PSALM 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Lord, let us see Your Kindness, and grant us Your Salvation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div style=\"padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;\">\r\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- faith-wp-respons-2 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3210937145558786\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5586646142\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/2peter\/3:8\">SECOND READING: 2 Peter 3:8-14<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Saint Peter reminds us that the Day of the Lord, the end of the age, will come suddenly and unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.<\/p>\n<p>This fact should give us added impetus to lead good and holy lives.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, we are reminded that, for God, a thousand years is like a day. So even if we feel as if there is some delay in the Second Coming, to God, who deals in epochs, the supposed delay is actually minimal. And if God waits, it is out of love and concern, to provide more time with the aim that\u00a0everyone\u00a0should come to repentance.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8230;\u00a0with the Lord one day is like a thousand years\u00a0and a thousand years like one day.\u00a0The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard \u201cdelay,\u201d\u00a0but He is patient with you,<br \/>\nnot wishing that any should perish\u00a0but that all should come to repentance.<\/p>\n<p>But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,\u00a0and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar\u00a0and the elements will be dissolved by fire&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;\u00a0what sort of persons ought you to be,\u00a0conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion,\u00a0waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God\u00a0&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Like Saint John the Apostle in the Book of Revelation, Saint Peter reminds us that the end of things will actually be a beginning, a new heaven and a new earth:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8230; we await new heavens and a new earth\u00a0in which righteousness dwells.\u00a0Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,\u00a0be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The more time we have to wait for God&#8217;s Reign, the more we should cherish the opportunity to tirelessly seek our continued conversion and, with God&#8217;s Mercy, constantly strive for greater holiness.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/1:1\">GOSPEL: Mark 1:1-8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>While it is the Second Sunday of Advent, we begin the Gospel of Mark.<\/p>\n<p>The arrival of John the Baptist heralding the coming Messiah fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah about a voice crying out in the desert, prepare you the way of the Lord.<\/p>\n<p>As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:\u00a0Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;\u00a0he will prepare your way.\u00a0A voice of one crying out in the desert: &#8216;Prepare the way of the Lord,\u00a0make straight His Paths.&#8217;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>John the Baptist appeared in the desert\u00a0proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.\u00a0&#8230;\u00a0clothed in camel\u2019s hair,\u00a0with a leather belt around his waist.\u00a0He fed on locusts and wild honey.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>John Baptizes people in the Jordan River as they acknowledge their sins.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, like Mary,\u00a0John centers his focus on God and his own humility, pointing to Christ as greater than himself, One Who will Baptize with the Holy Spirit:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8216;One Mightier than I is coming after me.\u00a0I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His sandals.\u00a0I have Baptized you with water; He will Baptize you with the Holy Spirit.&#8217;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In Advent, spiritually we have a focus on anticipation of the arrival of the Messiah, both at the end of time and in our upcoming celebration of the Nativity of the Lord at Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>So focusing on St. John the Baptist fits in with that, since he was a herald of the arrival of the Messiah. \u00a0And we are reminded that one important part of how we prepare for Christ is repentance and conversion.<\/p>\n<p>Yet chronologically, the timing of the action in today&#8217;s Gospel is about the time that Jesus is a grown man of thirty or so. Indeed, at some point, beyond the scope of this passage, Jesus will arrive on the scene and humble Himself to be Baptized by John, only to have it turn out that it is God the Father who Baptizes Jesus with the Holy Spirit, with the Father&#8217;s Voice Present Audibly and the Holy Spirit present visibly.<\/p>\n<p>In the time leading up to Jesus&#8217; Nativity in Bethlehem, of course, when Jesus is Incarnate in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, John the Baptist likewise is in the womb, being carried by Mary&#8217;s cousin Elizabeth. \u00a0John the Baptist was conceived about six months prior. At the Visitation, when Mary makes in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth, they are both pregnant. At the sound of Mary&#8217;s greeting, the infant in Elizabeth&#8217;s womb stirs with joy, such that the arrival of the Messiah is heralded by a baby&#8217;s kick, by the then-prenatal Saint John the Baptist.<\/p>\n<p>Today, in the spirit of anticipation, and connecting Advent with the broad sweep of\u00a0God&#8217;s Plan, we jump ahead to a time when both John the Baptist and Christ are both around thirty.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding:10px;\">\r\n<div style=\"float:left;\">\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"float:right;padding-right:75px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tkqlhce.com\/58116uoxuowBJFKCLHGBDCJHDFHF\" target=\"_blank\" onmouseover=\"window.status='http:\/\/www.TrinityRoad.com';return true;\" onmouseout=\"window.status=' ';return true;\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ftjcfx.com\/gg77nswkqo9HDIAJFE9BAHFBDFD\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\"\/><\/a>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;John the Baptist appeared in the desert\u00a0proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.\u00a0&#8230;\u00a0he proclaimed:&#8217;One Mightier than I is coming after me.\u00a0I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"continue-reading-button\"> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/catholic-mass-second-sunday-of-advent-12-7-14\/\">Continue reading<i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[33,28,3,13],"tags":[9,261,259,10],"class_list":["post-476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gospel-of-mark","category-isaiah","category-mass","category-psalms","tag-catholic-mass","tag-gospel-of-mark","tag-isaiah","tag-tv-mass"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Host-Mass-Iraq-200.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5edXM-7G","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":481,"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476\/revisions\/481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevencwelsh.info\/faith-central\/catholic-faith-central-christian-update\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}