Contents
Introduction
With the celebration of the fourth and last Sunday, the period of Advent comes to an end. In the first Sunday of Advent, Jesus exhorts the disciples and the entire Christian faithful to be watchful. This invitation is expressed in and with the formula “be watchful/be on your guard, keep alert/stay alert/stay awake, for you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:33). In the second Sunday, Mark presents the Gospel as a message of salvation, hence, those reading it must get themselves prepared. “The beginning of the Good News of Jesus” is a call to repentance and to believe the Gospel. As John the Baptizer noted, “the one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals” (Mark 1:7). As all Judaea and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem ran to John for baptism, and as he baptized them, and as they confessed their sins, John informed them that he was only a messenger, a forerunner. In the third Sunday, Christians were invited to witness to the true Light with all their hearts and with all their minds. With the time of preparations over, it is time to rejoice.
Role of the messiah
As explained in our previous reflection, the First Reading of the Third Sunday of Advent outlines the functions of the messiah (cf. Isa 61:1–2). In Luke 4:16b-20, we read that as Jesus entered the Synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath, “he stood up to read and he was given the book/scroll of prophet Isaiah and unrolling the book he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for this he has anointed me: to bring the Good News to the poor he has sent me, to proclaim liberation/freedom to the prisoners to the blind the recovery of sight, to send the oppressed away/free, to proclaim the year acceptable to the Lord.” It is with this Isaian passage that Jesus presents himself at the beginning of his mission. Continuing, after reassuring Miriam, the angel said to her “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:31). The angel continued and gave more details about the forthcoming messiah. He will be great; he will be called Son of the Most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the house of Jacob forever; and his reign will have no end.
FOR DETAILS, GET YOUR OWN COPIES OF THE BOOK “THE WORD OF LIFE: SUNDAY REFLECTIONS” (vols. I and II)!! The reflection for the 4th Sunday of Advent, Year B is found on vol. II pages 25–32. Happy reading!
For details on how to get it, contact the author on this link: https://m.me/uchennabiblia?fbclid=IwAR2yeg4a6sDGBp9QGkIvKj6FSADumMokN6lshdE0zuo-JHs6qOmlhA7jyHo or email me at: postmaster@uchennabiblia.com or simply send an SMS on 08116100926, and I will get back to you.
