2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR A)

 

1st Reading                Isaiah 11:1-10

Psalm                           72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 (R. cf. 7)

R:// "In his days shall justice flourish, and great peace forever"

2nd Reading             Romans 15:4-9

Gospel                       Matthew 3:1-12

EMBRACE PEACE

Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is a double celebration of the first sunday of December and the 2nd Sunday of Advent (Year A). We ask the Lord to lead us through the month and end the year successfully with us. We need to underline that on the 2nd Sunday of Advent, we light the 2nd Advent candle. This is the candle of Peace. This has much to do for us as we venture into the readings of the day. 

The first reading is from Isaiah 11:1-10. We have to know that we are reading from Proto-Isaiah (Chapters 1-39). This part is dated, looking at events it describes, to have been written around the 8th century BC (c. 740-700BC). The issue is that this moment is marked by political upheavals and threats. Nations fought to maintain their identities and secure not only their territories but also to advance them by adding new lands. Judah (Southern Kingdom) and Israel (Northern Kingdom) faced the threats of formidable nations like Assyria and Babylon. What it means is that national and individual peace is threatened. Safety is no longer fully secured and assured. What a Jew will see as "SHALÔM" is put to question. I want us then to understand the first reading within this context. 

The first reading speaks about the reign of the Messiah and the establishment of peace. In fact, the passage we are looking at is found within the larger scope of chapters dealing with issues about the Messiah (chs. 7-12). Having laid these foundations, let us proceed to identify what can thwart our peace and how our peace, robbed from us, can be restored. I suggest that there are three dimensions to it.

The first issue is that "A shoot shall spout from the stump of Jesse" (Isa. 11:1). Of particular mention is a STUMP. The Hebrew word translated as Stump is gēza′, and it refers to a tree that has been chopped down. This is a very crucial image. It does not speak of a flourishing dynasty, but one that has been violently cut off. The house of David, represented by Jesse (David's father), is at a low point, seemingly dead. The issue is that the tree will not terminate its own growth. It will take external power to do that. There is a kind of disturbance of our peace perpetuated by a bigger force outside of us. That is the first dimension to threats of peace. 

The restoration of that peace is very interesting. Rather than seeking an external help to fight an external force, it is the reaction of the stump that interests us. A shoot (hōtėr) rather sprouts from a seemingly dead stump. That is the image of new life from an impossible situation. Also, from the roots of the stump, shall proceed a BRANCH. The external enemy can rob you of your peace but cannot take away the foundations of it. The root still stands alive. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for branch, as used in the text, is nēsér. That strikes because Nazareth may even be a play on this Hebrew word nēsér. What do we know about Nazareth? Nazareth is Jesus' hometown. What it means is that Jesus, the Messiah, is already subtly spoken about by Isaiah. He shall restore that peace taken away by the external enemy.

The second issue to consider is the statement, "He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth" (Isa. 11:4c). We established that at the time of Isaiah, there were political upheavals, threats, and wars. The most known instrument for making war and dealing with one's enemy, especially in the Ancient Near East, is a SWORD. However, the Messiah is not going to use Sword but a ROD. We know that the prominent person who uses a rod in the Bible is a shepherd. In fact, the Hebrew word for ROD, as used in the text of Isaiah 11:4c, is "šēbeṭ (שֶׁבֶט)", and it is the same word used in Psalm 23, which talks about a Shepherd. The second dimension regards what the Messiah will use to restore the Peace. It is a ROD. Principally, the ROD is used to guide. If the ruthless will be struck with a rod, then I suggest that the ruthless will be guided by the Messiah. 

But, how exactly will that be? There is also a robbing of peace from the ruthless. Who is a ruthless person? This is a cruel, pitiless, and unrelenting person. The life of such a person has the capacity to influence you such that you go away from the right path. Such a person must be guided so that you do not copy from him. Jesus will not use the military weapon of a sword but the rod of his mouth (Isa. 11:4c). The mouth is made principally for speaking. What it means is that the rod that the Messiah will use to guide will be his speech. That closely has to do with the Word of God and conversion. Authentic peace comes from the Word of God and conversion. 

The third issue runs from Isaiah 11:6-9. This portion suggests a kind of environmental peace. This is true, but what do we make of it. Peace is also disturbed when there is friction between a higher power and a lower power. Isaiah mentioned that, "The baby shall play by the viper's den, and the child lag his hand on the adder's lair"(Isa. 11:8). 

We need to understand that the translation rendered as "baby" in the text is also seen in other translations as "nursing child". The Hebrew word for that is yólíia. The baby or the nursing child is a defenceless person. It depends on the strength of another person. Yet, this defenceless person plays with the den or the hole of viper, a dangerous animal. Also, there is the mention of a "weaned child" (tāgál). This person is slightly older than a nursing child but still small enough to put its hand directly on the adder's lair. The two images of a nursing child (or baby) and weaned child point to being defenceless. The third dimension is that what is defenceless and what is strong shall live together. There shall be no oppressive and fearful social difference and stratification. The non-human creation, being defenceless, with the reign of the Kingdom of the Messiah, should coexist peacefully with human creation. There should not be environmental suppression as it is today. This is a third level of peace. 

You can be at peace with yourself, with other humans, but when there is no peace between you and your environment, there is death. 

May we experience the Peace of Christ. May the Messiah restore peace where it is robbed. 

Pax et Bonum