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St. Elizabeth Seton Virtual Parish

Abstract Surface

Breaking Open Word

Can you hear the drum roll as Luke describes the historical details when Jesus begins His public ministry? Luke sets the scene for his readers and announces Jesus’ appearance in the middle of human history in August of AD 28. A transforming event, the ministry of Christ reaches across every time and impacts every aspect of human existence. For Jesus’ contemporaries, this experience was greatly influenced by the power of imperial Rome and the Jewish hierarchy. Luke provides the names of the secular leaders of Rome and the sacred leaders of the Jewish faith to validate this time in history.

Luke presented a contrary sign as proof of God's activity: a crier of news arrived in the desert. Most messengers shared their news in crowded city centers. People gathered in the marketplace to hear news from the traveling heralds. But John the Baptist roamed the desert. This was no place to announce news of importance. The desert hid many dangers and traps. Yet, the combination of the two images, a herald in the desert, recalled the Exodus experience and the prophetic tradition. If there was a place to hear news from God, it was in the desert.

St. Luke further emphasizes the nature of John's divine call by quoting the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3-5). The Gospel of Luke is the only synoptic Gospel to quote the entire passage, “a voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." By including the end of verse 6, Luke is affirming that Jesus’ words and works would extend the salvation of God to every person of the world.

2nd Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2024

At first glance, this reading seems to have little in common with the first two readings and their emphasis on rejoicing. The message of John the Baptist is a call to repentance and conversion with warnings about the impending judgement of God. Yet Luke says that John was preaching “good news” to the people.

The key to understanding that statement is that John’s message, like that of Jesus himself, was good news to those who chose to live according to the will of God. The judgement is no threat to the righteous, in fact, it will be a moment of validation for them and their way of life, as evil is destroyed and God’s will triumph.

Luke makes it clear that John is subordinate to Jesus. John baptizes only with water but Jesus will baptize with the holy spirit and fire. John is not even worthy to serve as a slave to Jesus, unfastening his sandals. A slave’s job was to remove his master’s shoes.

In Luke’s Gospel, possessions are something that you should be willing to part with. Those who truly welcome Jesus would give up everything in order to follow him.

Coming of the Messiah: Given the Roman occupation of their land, many Jews were looking for a messiah to liberate them. As John urged people to turn away from their old lives and embrace God’s coming, people hoped that he was God’s chose one. Messiah is a Hebrew word that means anointed one. Christ is the Greek word for Messiah. In the ancient world people were anointed as a sign that God had chosen them for a special purpose.

John then quotes from Malachi 3:19 when he warns that God’s judgment includes a fiery purging. John describes a farmer tossing wheat into the air to separate it from the chaff, the inedible part. It is not clear if the chaff represents people or to whatever is in people that must be purged before they enter God’s kingdom.

3rd Sunday of Advent
December 15, 2024

We see this theme of simplicity and humility manifesting itself in the person of Mary in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. Mary, a betrothed virgin and likely a young teenager, sets out to a town in Judah. She is the wife of a mere carpenter from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. Far from the Holy City of Jerusalem, not much good is expected from this remote outpost near the Sea of Galilee. Yet this young woman bears within her greatness. Residing within her womb lies the Son of God, the promised savior for the world.

In humility, Mary sets out determined to share the Christ-child within with her cousin Elizabeth. So begins history’s first Eucharistic procession, with Mary as tabernacle, bearing the real presence of Christ.

Mary, however, does not wait outside the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah, she ENTERS it! Mary brings Jesus into their home! In doing so, the REAL PRESENCE becomes present in the life of Elizabeth and the life of the child in her womb. The response to Jesus’ being brought to them is ecstasy – the infant leaps in Elizabeth’s womb, the grace of the Holy Spirit is poured out and there is great joy.

4th Sunday of Advent December 22

This week’s gospel narrative is found in only Luke’s gospel. One of the things Luke does with his gospel is build an understanding of who Jesus is. Luke takes us from the prophesies of Jesus, to the Nativity, to the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, then into this week’s gospel passage. As we move through Luke’s gospel to the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, Luke reveals more clearly that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophesies and is the Son of God.

There are several important matters in this week’s gospel. By the 1st Century BC, Jews were traveling rarely but quite commonly long distances and in groups. The major trip each year was to Passover. Typically, a town the size of Nazareth would have travelled together. The trip would have taken about 4 days and along the way families would bond and spend most of their time together when they arrived at Passover. Only men were expected to make the journey to Passover, so the presence of Mary underscores her commitment to the family.

After Passover, the family heads back to Nazareth, again they would have traveled back home in a group. Mary and Joseph were a day’s journey away from Jerusalem when they realized Jesus was not there. That means they would have traveled back a day to Jerusalem and then on the third day they found Jesus. Jesus was there in the Temple.

The notation of Jesus as being 12 years old at the time is important in that it reveals Jesus would have been of the age when His studies would have intensified. The practice of bar mitzvah was not yet in place, but at age 12 a young man’s studies would have intensified and he would be spending more time with the elders.
There in the temple, Jesus was asking questions and providing answers. It was routine that several questions would be asked of each other by those gathered to study scripture. The first person to provide an answer as opposed to a question generally did not have the complete answer. We can take the gospel passage to mean that Jesus had insights beyond the average 12 year old.

As Mary and Joseph express their anxiety at not being to find Him, Jesus tells them “Did you not know I that I must be my Father’s house?” Luke likely included this to help us understand that Jesus always knew who He was and is. The passage then tells us that Jesus remained obedient to Mary and Joseph, and Mary kept these things close to her heart – a notation that reveals Luke interviewed Mary regarding this occurrence.

Feast of the Holy family

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