On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.
On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.
R./ Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R./ Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R./ Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R./ Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R./ Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and made them known to the little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. I have been given all things by my Father, so that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said to them privately, "Fortunate are you to see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings would have liked to see what you see but did not, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
Dear brothers and sisters,
It may sound like a cliché to say that “gospel” means exactly “good news.” But Advent arrives, and we need to repeat it. This is how Jesus began His ministry: “Believe in the good news, the kingdom of God is near” (Mark 1:15). And He continued in Nazareth: “The Lord has sent me to bring good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). Have we ever betrayed the gospel, turning ourselves into killjoys for our brothers and sisters? Too often, as a child, I heard the phrase—perhaps used as a kind of blackmail to stop me from my normal mischief—“God is watching you, He’s looking at you…” With the best of intentions, we can distort what Jesus really meant. Those who understand Christian interior life have valued God’s gaze in another way: “Now You may look at me, since You already looked at me once, leaving grace and beauty in me” (St. John of the Cross).
Those who dive deeply into the Gospels notice a first stage of the Master’s activity, often called the “Galilean spring.” He appears as the prophet of new times, bringing joy and a desire to live where there was despair. He is the messenger foretold in Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who says to Zion: your God reigns.”
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, everything shines. He preaches beatitudes—joy for the poor, the hungry, and the sorrowful—and He Himself brings joy by comforting broken hearts, announcing the Father’s forgiveness and love, and bringing peace to the discouraged. Sometimes Jesus Himself seems amazed at what is happening through Him: “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, they are already ripe for harvest” (John 4:35); “When the fig tree becomes tender and sprouts leaves… summer is near” (Luke 21:30).
At times, our politicians have spoken of “green shoots” as signs of economic recovery or social improvement. But they were not original; Jesus’ followers had already seen those signs much more clearly: Jesus was transforming the world. Naturally, Jesus rejoices and calls them to joy. He congratulates them for what they see, hear, and experience. Those close to Jesus gain a deeper vision; they see things and see beyond them. He tells them clearly: “To you has been given the mystery of the Kingdom of God,” while to those who look from afar with skepticism, “everything remains a riddle” (Mark 4:11). Jesus asks for little: a simple heart and clear eyes are enough for wonder.
Can we congratulate ourselves for what we see and hear? Perhaps we are too quick to make lists of what is missing, without knowing how to give thanks for what is already here—often the fruit of faith in Jesus. The miracles happening around us are countless. Jesus set in motion a chain of goodness that does not stop. So many people dedicate their time and energy to doing good for others, forgetting themselves in order to bring the good news to others. (How many Spanish missionaries work freely in Africa, Asia, or Oceania?) How much goodness there is in our world! Blessed are our eyes…
Your brother,
Severiano Blanco, CMFGod will make a new beginning with people in the Messiah, in Jesus. He is the young shoot sprouting from the roots of the stump from the line of David and God's Spirit rests on him. He will bring peace - not the peace of resignation and the status quo, but the peace and harmony in the world that comes even to the poorest from justice, loyalty and integrity. In his own self he will show us what we are meant to be and what we can do with our human potentials if we let God work in us, if God's spirit is present in us, if we learn to think with God's wisdom and insight, if we act with his power, if we respect God's order.
It is those who realize their own indigence, says Jesus, who are receptive to God's gifts. With such people, Jesus can make his new beginning, also today, in this Advent.
Lord our God,
you never give up on people.
Again and again you want to make
a new beginning with us.
You showed us in Jesus your Son
the kind of people you want us to be.
As your Spirit rested on him,
pour out on us the same Spirit,
that we may see our mission in life
with your wisdom and insight
and that we may have the strength
to live as we believe and hope.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
Let us pray that the Spirit of God may work in us: Lord, fill us with your Spirit.
- Give us your Spirit of understanding, that we may know and understand you, our world and ourselves, we pray:
- Give us your Spirit of wisdom, that we may see even the wisdom of the cross and of suffering and grow through it, we pray:
- Give us the Spirit of justice and love, that we may honestly serve people, we pray:
Lord our God,
we bring before you
this bread and this wine.
Change these gifts through your Holy Spirit
into the body and blood of your Son
and change us into a people
in whom your Son dwells
with all his faithfulness and justice,
that we may live in your peace
now and for ever.
God, in this eucharist
we have offered you our good will
and you have given us your Son.
Make us aware of the indigence of our hearts,
that we may see the great things
you can do in us and through us,
and that we may be open to your gifts.
Help us to grow to full stature
and to give the full measure
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
If only Christ would be more alive among us! If only we would truly and fully live his message! If we would only let his Holy Spirit animate us! How all these would change us and our world! May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
