Since this is the only occasion in the three-year cycle when a
passage from Zephaniah is read, a few words about this minor prophet
would be in order.
Zephaniah’s prophetic activity coincided with the earlier part
of Josiah’s reign (ca. 640-630 BC). He was probably located at
Jerusalem. His prophecies are almost exclusively predictions of
judgment.
His message is the same as that of Amos: “The day of Yhwh will
be darkness and not light.”
Today’s excerpt comes from the only positive section of the
work. It consists of a psalm inviting Zion to rejoice because
salvation is at hand. The passage is so out of tune with the general
tenor of Zephaniah’s work that it has been thought to be an
addition by a later editor.
Like last Sunday’s passage from Baruch, this reading engenders
an attitude of excited expectation for the intervention of Yhwh and
is therefore fitting for the Advent season.
Responsorial Psalm: Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
This week we depart from the usual practice of drawing upon the
psalter for the responsorial reading and instead have an arrangement
of the first song of Isaiah. It is uncertain whether this canticle
is the work of Isaiah of Jerusalem. In fact, its tone rather
suggests a situation at the return from exile.
In the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church, this song is
provided as a canticle between the Old and the New Testament
readings at the daily Office.
The song gives thanks for the divine salvation that had been
promised in the Old Testament and is now on the brink of
fulfillment. This makes it equally suitable for Advent.
Note particularly the emphasis on the presence of God in Israel
(third stanza and refrain). The incarnation is the supreme
realization of the coming of God to be present among his people.
If we accept the partition theory of Philippians, this passage will
again
come from Paul’s second letter to the Christians of Philippi
(see last Sunday’s comments).
This reading was the traditional one for the third Sunday of Advent
and gave it the name “Gaudete Sunday.” (In the Book of
Common Prayer the reading was shifted to the last Sunday of
Advent.)
As the caption (“The Lord is near”) shows, the focal
point of the passage is the statement that the Lord (the exalted
Christ) is at hand.
Advent is not a gloomy season (it does have a penitential aspect—see
John the Baptist’s message of repentance), despite the
traditional use of the same liturgical color as is used for Lent.
Rather, Advent is marked by a crescendo of joy.
As the Lord comes nearer and nearer, we become more and more
excited. The rhythm of Advent is well captured by the Advent wreath,
which starts with one lighted candle and ends with four.
This reading consists of two pericopes (in the form-critical rather
than the liturgical sense of the word).
The first (Lk 3:10-14) is called by the Germans (who always seem to have neat names for
pericopes) the Standespredigt of the Baptist, that is, his
preaching to various classes of people: the crowds in general, the
tax collectors, and the soldiers.
The second part is the Baptist’s messianic preaching. He
disclaims any suggestion that he is the Messiah (see the
interpolations in the Johannine prologue). Both Luke and John may
reflect the claims of continuing followers of the Baptist; their
man, rather than Jesus, was the Messiah. In point of fact, the
Baptist had pointed forward to the coming of another, the strong One
(“he who is mightier than I”).
Unlike the Baptist, who administers a baptism with water, the strong
One will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John’s baptism
is preparatory. The strong One’s baptism will actually mediate
the eschatological judgment, or salvation.
Mark had simply “Spirit,” while Matthew and Luke add
“fire.” Probably “fire” alone is original
and “Spirit” is a Christian addition reflecting the
Pentecost event. Yet, the coming of the Spirit was part of Jewish
eschatological expectation and was therefore implicit in the
Baptist’s words.
Nor can we suppose that in speaking of the strong One the Baptist
himself consciously had Jesus in mind; it is more likely that his
conception of the Messiah was of one whose function would be more
judgmental than salvific.
It has been suggested that this is why later on in prison John asked
whether Christ was the coming One or whether people were looking for
another. Jesus turned out to be a very different kind of Messiah
from what John had expected.