Reflections

Yes Christmas is about a baby – and at last, on our fourth Sunday of Advent we finally get to the baby (Lk 1:39-45). In fact not just one baby but two. And perhaps almost more importantly, for this moment, two mothers.  Mary and Elizabeth couldn’t really be more different. Elizabeth is much older, past child-bearing age – perhaps 45. Mary is young, far too young to be married by the standards of our time, and yet to be married even in her time – so maybe 13. Elizabeth was from the…

Continue Reading Fourth Sunday of Advent

The Book of Zephaniah that gives us our first reading today is very short, three brief chapters. The first two and a half are a dire prophesy of death and destruction, about to happen in the Babylonian invasion. The final section we hear today (Zep 3:14-18a) couldn’t be more different, giving us the name of this third Sunday of Advent – Gaudete Sunday – Rejoicing Sunday.  The constant refrain that we hear through the Hebrew scriptures is that however badly the people mess up, however much God is fed up with their…

Continue Reading Third Sunday of Advent

Today’s readings draw heavily on those familiar images of filling valleys and leveling mountains, making straight roads in the wilderness (Bar 5:1-9).  If you’ve been on a road trip and seen a major highway, bridge, or railway under construction you will know the scale of that sort of project. It’s pretty awe inspiring. The ancient Israelites didn’t have the same heavy engineering equipment but ancient societies were no strangers to massive engineering works, whether it be the pyramids, Stonehenge, or Mayan temples. I’m sure the grandeur of the imagery used by Baruch…

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