First Reading
Baruch 5:1-9
Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on for ever the beauty of the glory from God. Put on the robe of the righteousness from God; put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting. For God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven. For your name will for ever be called by God, “Peace of righteousness and glory of godliness.” Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height and look toward the east, and see your children gathered from west and east, at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them. For they went forth from you on foot, led away by their enemies; but God will bring them back to you, carried in glory, as on a royal throne. For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God. The woods and every fragrant tree have shaded Israel at God’s command. For God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.
Second Reading
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Gospel
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiber’i-us Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturae’a and Trachoni’tis, and Lysa’ni-as tetrarch of Abile’ne, in the high-priesthood of Annas and Ca’iaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechari’ah in the wilderness; and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Reflection
This passage sets the stage for the ministry of John the Baptist, linking his mission to the prophetic words of Isaiah and highlighting the significant historical and religious context.
John travels around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This baptism is a symbolic act of purification and a call to spiritual renewal, urging people to turn away from their sins and prepare their hearts for the coming of the Lord. John’s message is one of transformation and readiness for the divine intervention that is to come through Jesus Christ.
Verses 4-6 quote the prophecy from Isaiah, which speaks of a voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord. This imagery of making straight paths, filling valleys, leveling mountains, and smoothing rough ways symbolizes the preparation required for the arrival of the Messiah. It is a call to remove obstacles and make the way clear for God’s salvation to be revealed to all people. This prophecy emphasizes the inclusivity of God’s salvation, extending beyond the Jewish people to all humanity.
John the Baptist’s role as the forerunner to Jesus is crucial. His message of repentance prepares the people for the transformative ministry of Jesus, who will bring the ultimate salvation. The call to repentance and the preparation of the heart are timeless messages, encouraging us to continually seek spiritual renewal and openness to God’s work in our lives.