7th Sunday of the Great Advent with the readings of 2nd Sunday of Advent, year A

Seventh week of the Great Advent: John the Baptist

Isaiah 11: 1-10

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Psalm 72: 1-2. 7-8. 12-13. 17

O God, with your judgment endow the king,

and with your justice, the king's son;

he shall govern your people with justice

and your afflicted ones with judgment.

Justice shall flower in his days,

and profound peace, till the moon be no more.

May he rule from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,

and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.

He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;

the lives of the poor he shall save.

May his name be blessed forever;

as long as the sun his name shall remain.

In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;

all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.

Romans 15: 4-9

Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles

and sing praises to your name.

Matthew 3: 1-12

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:

A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Questions:

- It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.” – Isaiah gives here a list of characteristics of the Messiah: how is each of them expressed in Jesus the Messiah? We are given a share in these attributes as the gifts of the Holy Spirit: how is each or could each of them be expressed in my life? Which are those gifts which I would especially want to ask from God?

- It is written in the Letter to the Romans: “For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” – What are the promises which were given to the patriarchs, to the Jewish people through the generations? How are these promises related to the coming of the Messiah, and how are they fulfilled in Jesus? Does this have a particular importance for our communities, here in Israel?

- Jesus said in the Gospel: “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” – What is a good fruit of repentance? Does repentance bring about a meaningful change in my life, and bear fruit in my words and actions in my life? What can I do to be a better person day after day?

Questions for children:

- It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.” – Isaiah is describing the Messiah, but this list also describes the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given to the Church at Pentecost and that we receive at baptism and especially at confirmation. What is each of these gifts? How can each of them help in my life?

- It is written in the Letter to the Romans: “For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” – What are the promises which were given to the patriarchs, to the Jewish people through the generations? How are these promises related to the coming of the Messiah? How are they fulfilled in Jesus?

- Jesus said in the Gospel: “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” – What is repentance? How can we repent daily (every day)? Do I do an examination of conscience (thinking over my actions before God) regularly? How can examining my consciences help me to correct and improve my behavior?