Letters From Home

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Memorial of St. John of the Cross by Ms. Joan Watson.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Memorial of St. Lucy by Dr. John Bergsma.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Dr. Shane Owens.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Monday of the Second Week of Advent by Dr. Scott Hahn.

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Readings:
Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11
Psalm 85:9–14
2 Peter 3:8–14
Mark 1:1–8

Our God is coming. The time of exile— the long separation of humankind from God due to sin—is about to end. This is the good news proclaimed in today’s liturgy.

Isaiah in today’s First Reading promises Israel’s future release and return from captivity and exile. But as today’s Gospel shows, Israel’s historic deliverance was meant to herald an even greater saving act by God—the coming of Jesus to set Israel and all nations free from bondage to sin, to gather them up and carry them back to God.

God sent an angel before Israel to lead them in their exodus towards the promised land (see Exodus 23:20). And He promised to send a messenger of the covenant, Elijah, to purify the people and turn their hearts to the Father before the day of the Lord (see Malachi 3:1, 23–24).

John the Baptist quotes these, as well as Isaiah’s prophecy, to show that all of Israel’s history looks forward to the revelation of Jesus. In Jesus, God has filled in the valley that divided sinful humanity from Himself. He has reached down from heaven and made His glory to dwell on earth, as we sing in today’s Psalm.

He has done all this not for humanity in the abstract but for each of us. The long history of salvation has led us to this Eucharist, in which our God again comes and our salvation is near. And each of us must hear in today’s readings a personal call. Here is your God, Isaiah says. He has been patient with you, Peter says in today’s Epistle.

Like Jerusalem’s inhabitants in the Gospel, we have to go out to Him, repenting our sins, all the laziness and self-indulgence that make our lives a spiritual wasteland. We have to straighten out our lives so that everything we do leads us to Him.

Today, let us hear the beginning of the Gospel and again commit ourselves to lives of holiness and devotion.

Lecturas:
Isaías 40,1–5. 9–11
Salmo 85, 9–14
2 Pedro 3, 8–14
Marcos 1, 1–8

Nuestro Dios viene. El tiempo del exilio –la prolongada separación de Dios que la humanidad tiene debido al pecado- está a punto de terminar. Esas son las buenas nuevas que proclama la liturgia de este domingo.

En la primera lectura, Isaías promete la futura liberación israelita de la cautividad y el regreso del exilio. Pero como enseña el Evangelio, la liberación histórica de Israel pretendía anunciar un acto salvífico de Dios aún mayor: la venida de Jesús para liberar de las ataduras del pecado a Israel y a todas las naciones, para congregarlas y llevarlas de vuelta a Dios.

Dios mandó un ángel delante de Israel para liderarlo en su éxodo hacia la tierra prometida (cf. Ex 23,20). Y Él prometió enviar a un mensajero de la alianza, Elías, para purificar al pueblo y convertir los corazones al Padre, antes del Día del Señor (cf. Ml 3,1; 23.24).

Juan el Bautista cita esto, así como la profecía de Isaías, para mostrar que toda la historia de Israel apunta a la revelación de Jesús. En Jesús, Dios ha llenado el valle que separaba de Él a la humanidad pecadora. Él ha descendido desde el cielo y ha hecho habitar su gloria en la tierra, como cantamos en el salmo de este domingo.

Él ha hecho todo esto, no por la humanidad en abstracto, sino por cada uno de nosotros. La extensa historia de la salvación nos ha conducido a esta Eucaristía, en la que Dios nuevamente viene y nuestra salvación está cerca.

Y cada uno de nosotros debe escuchar una llamada personal en las lecturas del domingo. Aquí está su Dios, dice Isaías. Él ha sido paciente con ustedes, dice San Pedro en la epístola.

Como los habitantes de Jerusalén que aparecen en el Evangelio, debemos salir y acudir hacia Él, arrepentirnos de nuestros pecados, de pereza y de auto-indulgencia que hacen de nuestra existencia un desierto. Debemos enderezar nuestras vidas, de modo que todo lo que hagamos nos conduzca hacia Él.

Esta domingo, en la Misa, escuchemos el inicio del Evangelio y comprometámonos a vivir con santidad y devoción.

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Saturday of the First Week of Advent by Mr. Clement Harrold.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Dr. John Bergsma.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Memorial of St. Ambrose by Ms. Joan Watson.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the First Week of Advent by Dr. John Bergsma.

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