The Prophet Isaiah, Benedetto Gennari, 17th century, Burghley collection

Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Romans 1:1–7
December 18, 2022

After a week with St. James, we return to Paul’s “Letter to the Romans,” indeed to its opening. As we have seen before Paul is writing to a community he did not found nor one in which he has many friends. He also has a very clear motive for making a good impression. Paul is going to Rome as a prisoner to be tried by the emperor. This will not be immediate, and he will need to be housed and fed. He wishes the Roman Church to pay for a good jailor and a decent room where he can still speak with others and write. Paul, however, has a problematic reputation. Some people are still suspicious of him because he once persecuted the church, others because of his occasional intemperance. They most likely read the letter to the Galatians. He needed to be very careful to make a good impression on the Roman Christians. Further details can be found here.

Besides the political, there is a theological issue. Paul is an apostle. An apostle is literally one who is sent. Yet the early church gave apostle a fuller meaning. An apostle required that one have seen the risen Lord, been commissioned by him to preach the gospel and, for Paul at least, to found churches. This is wider than the 12 and Paul goes to great lengths to show that on the road to Damascus he had an encounter with the risen Lord who commissioned him to preach to the Gentiles. We see in the “Acts of the Apostles” that Paul’s apostleship was widely accepted, at least in the generation after his death. So as an apostle he had the right to demand to be housed and protected but he had no means to command them. This would be difficult for the most experienced diplomat, which is not a word that comes to mind with Paul. He will need to set both the mood and his terms in this introduction.

Continue reading “4th Sunday of Advent – Living by the Meaning of His Birth” →

Saint John the Baptist preaching in the Wilderness,
Pier Francesco Mola, c.1640, National Gallery (UK)

Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
(Matthew 11:4–6)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Third Sunday of Advent
James 5:7–10
December 11, 2022

Last week, we noted that most of the authors of the New Testament urged their readers to be patient. They expected Jesus to return and establish the Kingdom and were disconcerted that it was taking so long. They also believed that acceptance of Jesus, who they thought was at very least the Messiah, would make their lives easier. Instead, they seemed to have more problems than had they not joined the church. To make matters, even worse most of the New Testament was written before there was any truly organized persecution of the church from Roman authorities and the stresses and strains came from within the church or family. We saw this last week when looking at Paul’s letter to the Romans and we see it again this week in the Letter of St. James. These letters are usually, if very incorrectly, pitted against each other but speak together with one voice of encouragement to the weary Christian: now as well as then.

Continue reading “3rd Sunday of Advent – Peace Fulfilling Love” →

John the Baptist, Alexandre Cabanel, 1849, Musée Fabre (France – Montpellier)

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.
(Matthew 3:1–3)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Second Sunday of Advent
Romans 15:4–9
December 4, 2022

Because scholars assert that the scriptures tell us not to be afraid 365 times, an enterprising printer has made a calendar with a quote for every day of the year. This is the phrase most used in the Bible because it reflects both that God is a protector, who will stand with us, but also Lord, who we approach only with his permission. There are other common ideas. We would not be able to complete a year’s calendar with encouragement for endurance and perseverance, but we could easily get a month. This is especially important in the New Testament because Jesus has promised to return and relatively quickly, the faithful got anxious and asked not only why he was delayed but also what does this mean for them. Every New Testament writer has examined this question from his own perspective. As we will see today Paul emphasized that we need endurance not only or even especially from threats from outside the community but more importantly from within. We must persevere to maintain harmony. This is a theme throughout his letters but is especially important in Romans. Continue reading “Second Sunday of Advent – Persevering in the Way” →

Photo by Ethan Milrad on Unsplash

In days to come,
the mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
(Isaiah 2:2–3)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
First Sunday of Advent
Romans 13:11–14
November 27, 2022

For three of the four Sundays of Advent, our second reading will be from St. Paul’s “Letter to the Romans.” We have read this letter together many times and indeed spent an entire summer on one section. You may find our introduction to the Letter to the Romans helpful. We need only note now that Paul as a Roman citizen could not be executed as cavalierly as a non-citizen. He was being sent to Rome as a prisoner to be tried by the Emperor. The Roman prison system was somewhat haphazard, and a well-connected detainee could arrange for what would amount to house arrest. Paul needed the help of the Roman Church to do this, but he had become very controversial. This letter was at least in part his attempt to show that he was, in our terms, an orthodox believer and a stable person. It is a great gift to us because it provides Paul’s clearest attempt to present his teachings in an orderly manner.

The passages that we will read for the next two weeks are Paul’s comments on the return of Jesus and the establishment of the kingdom. This is fitting for the Advent season. Advent means “arrival or coming” We immediately think of Christmas, but the liturgy of the church focuses on this for only the last week of Advent. Until December 16, the readings and prayers look at the consequences of the return of the Lord.

Continue reading “1st Sunday of Advent – Entering the Light” →