CT - Catholic Telegraph

We are all prophets of the Lord

Third Sunday of Advent, Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 (Lectionary 008, Dec. 11, 2005)

This Sunday’s reading is from the third part of The Book of the Prophet Isaiah (chapters 56-66). This part of Isaiah seems to have been written by members of the spiritual community of Isaiah of Jerusalem after the Israelites’ return from the Babylonian exile had begun.

The reading, as presented in the lectionary, is in two parts.

The first part (vv. 1-2a) is spoken in the person of the author. The second part (vv. 10-11) seems to be spoken in the person of Zion; that is, by the corporate person of the people of God.

In the first part, the prophet describes his calling and his role. He has been called to his task by being anointed by the Spirit of God. Generally anointing was an act of empowerment reserved for kings and high priests. Here anointing is used as an image of the prophet’s being set aside and consecrated for a special work.

The prophet then lists three tasks to which he has been called, three gifts that God would give His people through the ministry of the prophet. The prophet has been sent to encourage those in need, economic need or spiritual need. He has also been sent to bring freedom from every kind of exile and or imprisonment. Finally, he is to be a voice of reassurance by announcing the generosity of God, a generosity that would bring God’s people to a final state of fulfillment and well-being.

In the second half of our reading, we hear the voice of God’s people, reflecting on what God has done for it and what God would still bring to pass. It is a voice of rejoicing because God has gifted His people with life and holiness, because God has entered into a kind of marriage relationship with them. The people and God belong together, even as man and wife belong together.

But there is more still to come. God promises a state of holiness and thanksgiving and praise throughout the world. God’s whole earthly creation will be a garden of goodness cultivated by its loving Lord.

Both parts of this reading are messianic, that is, they are concerned with the future that God has planned for His people, a future that would involve forgiveness, holiness, fulfillment, strength, liberation and completion. All the first readings of the Advent season deal in some degree with God’s messianic providence since Advent is a time of preparation to celebrate the coming of the Messiah in the ministry and birth of Jesus and at the end of the world.

The first verses of the reading seem to hark back to the four "servant of the Lord" readings that are found in the second part of Isaiah. These are a series of poems that speak of the ideal servant of God, God’s agent who would carry out God’s will in a unique career of service. In fact, some scholars look on this Sunday’s text as a fifth servant song. We Christians look on the servant songs as prophecies about Jesus Christ. This Sunday’s reading, whether or not it should be counted as a servant song, is also about Jesus. In fact, Jesus refers this passage to Himself when He is giving a description of His calling to His friends and relatives in Nazareth (Luke 4: 16 ff.). He is the anointed one who would bring healing and freedom.

The second part of the reading is concerned with the definitive messianic kingdom, the state in which God would take final and full possession of His people and through them lead the world to a harvest of justice and praise. Our vision of the people of God is cast in terms of the church. Although the church and the messianic kingdom are not simply co-terminous, the Church is the beginning of the kingdom and is the instrument that God will use to bring the kingdom to fulfillment.

In this reading, then, the author speaks of a prophet who has claims on the attention of his hearers and of a people who would be the agents of God’s salvation and God’s justice. We see here a proclamation of Christ and a foreshadowing of certain aspects of the church.

But this reading is about us, too. Because we are baptized, we share in the life of Christ Jesus, the unique servant of God. We are therefore called and anointed to bring glad tidings to the poor, freedom to captives, the announcement of God’s favor. Moreover, because of our baptism we are also members of the church and so share the church’s relationship with God as well as the church’s mission to lead the world to justice and praise.

We are all somehow prophets of the Lord. We are all agents of God’s kingdom.

For reflection and discussion

How do I see myself as called by the Lord?

What evidence do I see of God making justice and praise spring up in the world?



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	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk We are all prophets of the Lord Third Sunday of Advent, Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 (Lectionary 008, Dec. 11, 2005) This Sunday’s reading is from the third part of The Book of the Prophet Isaiah (chapters 56-66). This part of Isaiah seems to have been written by members of the spiritual community of Isaiah of Jerusalem after the Israelites’ return from the Babylonian exile had begun. The reading, as presented in the lectionary, is in two parts. The first part (vv. 1-2a) is spoken in the person of the author. The second part (vv. 10-11) seems to be spoken in the person of Zion; that is, by the corporate person of the people of God. In the first part, the prophet describes his calling and his role. He has been called to his task by being anointed by the Spirit of God. Generally anointing was an act of empowerment reserved for kings and high priests. Here anointing is used as an image of the prophet’s being set aside and consecrated for a special work. The prophet then lists three tasks to which he has been called, three gifts that God would give His people through the ministry of the prophet. The prophet has been sent to encourage those in need, economic need or spiritual need. He has also been sent to bring freedom from every kind of exile and or imprisonment. Finally, he is to be a voice of reassurance by announcing the generosity of God, a generosity that would bring God’s people to a final state of fulfillment and well-being. In the second half of our reading, we hear the voice of God’s people, reflecting on what God has done for it and what God would still bring to pass. It is a voice of rejoicing because God has gifted His people with life and holiness, because God has entered into a kind of marriage relationship with them. The people and God belong together, even as man and wife belong together. But there is more still to come. God promises a state of holiness and thanksgiving and praise throughout the world. God’s whole earthly creation will be a garden of goodness cultivated by its loving Lord. Both parts of this reading are messianic, that is, they are concerned with the future that God has planned for His people, a future that would involve forgiveness, holiness, fulfillment, strength, liberation and completion. All the first readings of the Advent season deal in some degree with God’s messianic providence since Advent is a time of preparation to celebrate the coming of the Messiah in the ministry and birth of Jesus and at the end of the world. The first verses of the reading seem to hark back to the four "servant of the Lord" readings that are found in the second part of Isaiah. These are a series of poems that speak of the ideal servant of God, God’s agent who would carry out God’s will in a unique career of service. In fact, some scholars look on this Sunday’s text as a fifth servant song. We Christians look on the servant songs as prophecies about Jesus Christ. This Sunday’s reading, whether or not it should be counted as a servant song, is also about Jesus. In fact, Jesus refers this passage to Himself when He is giving a description of His calling to His friends and relatives in Nazareth (Luke 4: 16 ff.). He is the anointed one who would bring healing and freedom. The second part of the reading is concerned with the definitive messianic kingdom, the state in which God would take final and full possession of His people and through them lead the world to a harvest of justice and praise. Our vision of the people of God is cast in terms of the church. Although the church and the messianic kingdom are not simply co-terminous, the Church is the beginning of the kingdom and is the instrument that God will use to bring the kingdom to fulfillment. In this reading, then, the author speaks of a prophet who has claims on the attention of his hearers and of a people who would be the agents of God’s salvation and God’s justice. We see here a proclamation of Christ and a foreshadowing of certain aspects of the church. But this reading is about us, too. Because we are baptized, we share in the life of Christ Jesus, the unique servant of God. We are therefore called and anointed to bring glad tidings to the poor, freedom to captives, the announcement of God’s favor. Moreover, because of our baptism we are also members of the church and so share the church’s relationship with God as well as the church’s mission to lead the world to justice and praise. We are all somehow prophets of the Lord. We are all agents of God’s kingdom. For reflection and discussion** How do I see myself as called by the Lord? What evidence do I see of God making justice and praise spring up in the world?

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