Second Sunday of Advent 2010 Mass and Reflections




Mass readings for The Second Sunday of Advent  and various commentaries and reflections can be found here.








My Music playlist with Friday five pieces of music with the theme of change from here



Gospel Matthew


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 ( Vivienne Westwood eat your heart out)

and had a leather belt around his waist. ( Not Gucci)

His food was locusts and wild honey 

( and maybe some sushi with wasabi on a Friday night)

 



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?
(didn't hold back did he?)
 





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 axe 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.”

This is a link to a previous post of mine on John the Baptist written earlier this year on his memorial feast day.
and this is a link to two videos of John the Baptist through the eyes of Dublin schoolchildren in the 1960's.

I                                           mage above "His name is John" by Daniel Bonnell

Today I pray that God will reveal those issues in my life where I need to seek true repentance and that  my life will show the true fruits of the changes I make.



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2 comments:

claire bangasser said...

Great Art, Phil!
Now I see where you got 'Brood of Vipers."
I pray that your prayer be answered :-)

Blue Eyed Ennis said...

Thanks Claire. :-))