Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR C THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT - 14.12.03 Zeph 3,14-18; Phil 4,4-7; Lk 3,10-18 Advent: a prayer & an invitation Come,
Lord Jesus!
From December 17th to 23rd, the Liturgy invites us to offer a prayer of longing
for the Lord to be born in our lives. During these seven days, this prayer is
powerfully named in seven “O” Antiphons, used at the Gospel Acclamation.
17/12: O Wisdom, coming from the mouth of the Most High, reaching the ends of
the earth and disposing all things gently yet mightily. Come & teach us the
way of prudence -- 18/12: O Adonay & Leader of ancient Israel, you appeared to Moses in the
burning bush and gave him your Law at Sinai. Come to redeem us with your
outstretched arm -- 19/12: O Stock of Jesse, standing as a sign (of contradiction) for all Nations;
kings fall silent as people acclaim you. Come to deliver us and do not delay --
20/12: O Key of David, sceptre of the House of Israel, what you open no one can
close and what you close no one can open. Come & lead forth from this
prison, we captives sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death --
21/12: O Orient, brightness of eternal light and sun of justice. Come and
enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. -- 22/12: O King
of Nations eagerly longed by all & cornerstone who holds together all into
one. Come & save humankind, whom you formed from clay. -- 23/12: O Emmanuel,
God-in-our-midst, our King and Law-giver, desire of all Nations & Saviour.
Come to save us, Lord our God. The Church commends these prayers to us, so we may prepare our hearts
for Christmas, knowing that the feeling of joyful expectation is part of our
prayer all the days of our life. The very last words of the Bible in Rev 22,20
leave than feeling in us: ‘The Spirit & the Bride say: Come! Let anyone
who hears say: Come! Let anyone who is thirsty come! To the one who awaits He
says: Yes I am coming. - Amen. - Come, Lord Jesus! Come
to me, says the Lord!
While the prayer for the Lord to come in our lives is essential for our
experience of Advent as indeed for our Christian life as a whole, the opposite
is also essential, namely that our Christian life becomes an on-going response
to the Lord’s urging invitation, to come to Him. We are free of course, to
choose between accepting and rejecting God’s offer of love. Often, John’s
Gospel reflects on the sad truth that God’s Son ‘came unto his own but his
own did not receive him... preferring darkness to light’(1,11). And we all
hope that, at the end of life, the Lord will say to us: ‘Well done... come and join in your
master’s happiness (25,21). We hope too that on judgment day He will say: Come
you whom my Father has blessed, inherit the Kingdom... 25,21. But the reality is
that our Lord constantly invites us to come to Him, especially at times of
enormous stress: Remember the beautiful words of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel
11,28: ‘Come to me all you who are hurting
and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest!... Now, the meaning of this is
linked with listening & acting: ‘he who comes
to me hears my words & acts on them’. Lk 6,47 & in Jn 14,23 ‘ He who
loves me, will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come
to him and make our home with him’. The double movement in Advent where God says : ‘Come to me’ and we
say: ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ gives Advent its vibrant feeling of joyful
expectation as we look forward & celebrate the fulfillment of God’s
promise on Christmas Day. This Advent, enjoy with thankfulness God’s generous
love made real for us in Jesus. By far, the best ever present for Christmas, we
already have, and that is God’s Gift of his Son. We do not have to be worthy
to welcome the Lord. Just accept his invitation: come to me, come as you are. ______________________________________ |
