Introduction
Advent is well known as a time to spiritually prepare ourselves for Christmas, but there is more to the season. While we certainly prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth — the first coming of Christ which has already occurred — we also look ahead and prepare ourselves for his second coming in glory at the end of time.
The readings for the first two weeks of Advent direct our attention forward, focusing on Christ’s role as the just judge who will come again to fulfill God’s plan for the world. It’s only in the second two weeks of the season that the focus of the readings shifts to the joyful anticipation of his birth, the Incarnation that brought salvation into the world.
1st Reading – Baruch 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.
During Advent, the first readings are prophecies that foretell the coming of the Messiah and vividly portray the peace, justice, and restoration his reign will bring. These prophetic visions resonate deeply with Advent’s themes of hope, anticipation, and preparation for Christ’s coming.
Baruch, whose name means “blessed,” was the faithful secretary and disciple of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 32:12ff). Following the Babylonian conquest of Judah, Baruch and Jeremiah were forcibly taken to Egypt (Jeremiah 43) as Jerusalem lay in ruins and the temple was destroyed. Later, Baruch left Egypt (Baruch 1:1-2) and joined the Jewish exiles in Babylon, where he wrote the book bearing his name.
Today’s first reading, drawn from the entire fifth chapter of the Book of Baruch, is a message of profound hope. Using vivid poetic imagery, it envisions a dramatic reversal of Jerusalem’s fortunes: a time when God will restore his people and bring them back to their homeland in glory and peace.
Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
Jerusalem is depicted as a grieving mother, her children carried off by enemies into captivity. With no future in sight for the family, she is faced with extinction. Accordingly, she wears the garments of grieving.
Here, Jerusalem is being called to shed bereavement garb and instead wear God’s divine glory as a garment, a sign of restored dignity and joy.
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name.
The imagery of the cloak of justice and the mitre (a headpiece) evokes the attire of priests or royalty, signifying that Jerusalem will be re-established as a holy and glorious city under God’s justice.
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.
Jerusalem’s renewed state will be a beacon to the world, and its name will reflect its identity as a place of peace, justice, and divine 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.
Jerusalem is called to rise and witness the return of her exiled children from all directions, brought back by God’s command. Those she was mourning have been saved and are returning home.
The east is the direction in which the sun rises, and according to tradition, the direction from which salvation will arrive.
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.
The exiles were led away on foot into captivity, but they will be carried back on royal thrones.
Isaiah described something similar: See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips. —Isaiah 49:22
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 path home of the Israelites will be leveled to ensure a smooth and secure path for God’s people. The contour of the world will be transformed for their sake (see Isaiah 40:3-4).
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God’s command;
Creation itself participates in the restoration; even the trees will shelter them as they return.
For God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.
God himself leads Israel home on a journey marked by joy, mercy, and justice.
No explicit reason is given for this remarkable magnanimity; God’s providence is beyond our understanding.
2nd Reading – Philippians 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.
For the first three weeks of Advent, the second readings exhort us to live faithfully and responsibly in the present as we await Christ’s second coming, offering encouragement and guidance that bridge the reality of the Incarnation with the hope of his glorious return.
In today’s reading, Saint Paul expresses gratitude and hope for the spiritual growth of the Philippians, encouraging them to prepare for the day of Christ with love, discernment, and righteousness — an invitation that echoes the Advent themes of joyful anticipation and readiness for the Lord’s coming.
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.
The Christians in the Philippian community are very dear to Paul. He commends them for the partnership (koinōnía) they’ve had since the first days of his founding of the church there.
Koinōnía encompasses more than just fellowship or communal living; in this context, it specifically refers to the Philippians’ active participation in Paul’s Gospel mission, including spiritual, financial, and practical support.
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.
Although Paul brought the gospel to them, he acknowledges that it was God who made it take root in their hearts. He has full trust in God’s faithfulness to bring their spiritual growth to completion.
“The day of Christ Jesus” refers to Christ’s second coming, framing their growth as part of a larger eschatological plan. This verse also echoes our Advent spirit of trust in God’s transformative work as we await the fulfillment of his promises.
For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Paul invokes God as a witness to his deep longing and love for the Philippians, modeled on Christ’s selfless love. This divine affection (splánchnon) surpasses mere human sentiment and points to the transformative power of Christ in relationships.
The original literal meaning of splánchnon referred to the inner organs, such as the heart, liver, and intestines, which were thought to be the seat of deep emotions in ancient thought; over time, the term evolved to symbolize profound, heartfelt feelings, much like the modern expression “from the bottom of my heart.” (See Luke 1:78, 2 Corinthians 6:12, Colossians 3:12 for other examples of splánchnon in the New Testament).
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,
This prayer for the love of the Philippians to grow in depth and discernment suggests that true Christian love is informed by knowledge of God’s will and wisdom in application.
The specific kind of love referred to here is agapē, a selfless love that is epitomized in the sacrificial love of Christ.
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.
The purpose of growth in love and wisdom is to enable a life of holiness, free from hypocrisy or moral compromise, in preparation for Christ’s second coming.
This is very similar to Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians that we heard last Sunday: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.”
In both prayers, Paul emphasizes the essential call to grow in love as the primary way to prepare for the Lord’s coming.
These words take on an even deeper meaning when we realize that Paul wrote them from prison. Despite his bleak circumstances, he expresses some of the most uplifting and inspiring thoughts of his ministry in his letter to the Philippians. His ability to convey such joy and hope in the face of suffering speaks to the transformative power of the Gospel, showing that Christian love is not only a virtue to practice in waiting for Christ’s return but also a powerful source of strength in times of hardship.
Gospel – Luke 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.”
John the Baptist is a central figure and symbol of Advent. Each year, his presence takes center stage in the gospel readings for the Second and Third Sundays of Advent, where he is depicted as a voice crying out in the wilderness as foretold in Isaiah 40:3, calling people to repentance and announcing the imminent arrival of the Messiah.
As the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist embodies the spiritual readiness and conversion that Advent invites us to embrace. Through his prophetic witness and unwavering humility, John directs us to focus on Christ, the true light of the world, and reminds us of the importance of making straight the paths in our own lives as we await the Lord’s coming.
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,
Luke anchors his gospel account in real-world events, which underscores the historical credibility of the narrative. He identifies the power structure in place at the time, beginning with the Roman emperor and continuing through a list of the regional authorities of Roman occupation.
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
The wording mirrors the Old Testament language used to describe the calling of prophets (e.g., Jeremiah 1:2), signaling John’s prophetic role.
John was from a priestly family (Luke 1:5), yet he is found in the desert, not at the Temple. The wilderness setting emphasizes John’s spiritual authority and detachment from societal structures, aligning him with prophetic traditions and symbolizing a place of renewal and preparation.
He went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
By moving throughout the desert and calling people to repentance and baptism in the Jordan, John was likely drawing on the collective memory of the Israelites’ journey through the desert during the Exodus and their crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:14-17) — a pivotal moment of covenant renewal and entry into a new life.
In Jewish tradition, baptism, or mikvah, was one of the three requirements for converting to Judaism, alongside circumcision and offering sacrifices. Mikvah symbolized a spiritual purification, representing a turning away from sin and a cleansing of impurity.
The word here for repentance is metánoia: a conversion, a change of heart. It involves a deep, internal shift, not merely an outward act.
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,
Luke explicitly connects John to Isaiah 40:3, presenting him as the fulfillment of the prophecy. This identification underscores John’s role as the forerunner of the Messiah, tasked with preparing the people to receive Christ.
When the Jews were held captive in Babylon, they were forced to build roads for their captors. Isaiah prophesied that a day would come when they would instead build a highway for God, to prepare the way for his coming. Luke references this prophecy to suggest that John is the herald of the coming of the Lord.
The imagery of preparing the way also echoes our first reading from Baruch (for God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground…)
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’
The culmination of the prophecy highlights the universal scope of salvation, extending beyond Israel to “all flesh.”
This anticipates the inclusivity of Jesus’ mission and echoes Luke’s emphasis on God’s salvation being offered to all people.
It also encapsulates the Advent hope of Christ’s coming as a revelation of God’s redemptive plan for the world.
Connections and Themes
- Radical transformation. This week’s readings all center on the theme of radical transformation. In the first reading, Jerusalem’s mourning is replaced with glory, tears are turned to joy, captives are freed, valleys are filled, mountains are leveled, and crooked roads are made straight. In the second reading, Paul reflects on the Philippian community’s transformation from a fledgling church into a “partnership for the gospel,” while continuing to pray for their spiritual growth and perfection in Christ. In the gospel, John calls for metánoia — a profound transformation of heart that leads to a total renewal of life.k
- Grounded in history. Today’s readings also demonstrate the profound significance of history in God’s redemptive plan. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah proclaims God’s restoration of Jerusalem, a real, earthly city, transforming it into the site of his divine action. In the gospel, Luke meticulously details the time, place, and identity of John the Baptist, ensuring that his ministry is rooted in a specific moment of history.God does not call us to renounce the realities of human life. On the contrary, he enters history by taking on human flesh in the Incarnation, dwelling among us in the fullness of time. As we celebrate Christ’s first coming and anticipate his glorious return, we are also called to welcome him now, in the present, into our lives — transforming our hearts and our world here and now.
Sunday Readings 