Observation, February 9th, 2024, Friday

a warm February

today is cooler than it has been

 

there is a breeze,

it rattles my windows

Observation - October 8th, 2023, Sunday

the sun is shing

leaves are falling

there is a chill in the air

it is cold in the apartment,

            though the windows are closed

I have not yet

lit the furnace

Observation - July 8th, 2023, Saturday

 It is quiet… there is the soft sound of air moving through a fan, and the quiet hum of its motor…turning.

 Above that I hear a choir of monks singing the liturgy of the hours, it is nine o’clock in the morning and the hour is Terce.

 The coffee in my cup is warm, and there is a coal burning in the ashtray, smoke drifting from the burning end of a marijuana cigarette…commercial grade.

 There is woodpecker knocking on a tree, the sound comes through the window with the cool summer morning.

Observation - February 8th, 2023, Wednesday

February 8^th, 2023, Wednesday

Observation

 

 Ambulance pulling up across the street

 Lights and sirens…beep…beep

 Window shades tinted with blue and red

 A gurney clatters for the dead

Observation - January 8th, 2023, Sunday

January 8^th, 2023, Sunday

Observation

 

 The maple’s north face is covered in snow

 Outside my window, bare branches like

 Twisted fingers in the freezing cold

Observation - January 7th, 2023, Saturday

Observation

 

Cold, the furnace went out

 

Eighteen degrees outside in the city

          The morning sun is pale in a silver sky

 

My fingers are stiff…not from typing

 

Noise from the space-heater covers everything

          Pushing cold air through hot coils…

 

Electricity

 

The water kettle boils

          A sharp whistle piercing the room

 

The promise of something warm to hold

          Sipping hot coffee in the gloom

A Homily – The Epiphany, A Holy Day of Obligation (Year A)

A Homily – The Epiphany, A Holy Day of Obligation (Year A)

 

First Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 71(72):1-2, 7-8, 10-13 ©

Second Reading – Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 2:2

The Gospel According to Matthew 2:1 - 12 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 The prophet speaks metaphorically; this is a projection from the school of Isaiah regarding its understanding that the God of the Hebrew people is the God of all people, the one and only God, the creator of the universe, that God is the God over everyone.

 It is an expression of the hope that at the end of time all people will be united, not just metaphorically but in actuality, that there will be no divisions among us: no war, no enmity, that everyone will have been brought together by God to share in a common destiny.

 This is not an expectation of hope for this world. Isaiah understands that God will not effect these changes in the lives of the people today, the prophet is looking to the eschaton…to the end of time.

 Know this:

 God does not intervene in the affairs of human beings, God does not appoint rulers and kings.

 God will not rescue you from the troubles of this world, because God has made you, and everyone, the whole of creation absolutely free.

 God will not intervene, do not petition God as if God were a king.

 Consider the words of the apostle who puts forward a lovely sentiment, expressing faith in God’s love and mercy, even though he fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between God and humanity.

 Listen!

 We are as God created us; God loves us according to God’s nature, not ours…unless you were to say that it is in our nature to be loved by God.

 Remember!

 God is the author of life and we were created to share in the life of God, remember that God is with us, that God is grace and grace is best expressed through love…and hope…and faith which means trust.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today; there is a great deal to unpack in the story of the Magi. Though before we begin let us note that in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is visited by three shepherds, not three Magi, who are also commonly referred to as kings. Note also that in Mark’s Gospel, the 1^st to be compiled, there is no reference to these events at all, and John’s Gospel makes no mention of them either.

 Apologists for the Gospel tradition claim that Luke and Matthew were relating separate events, and they encourage us not to conflate them. Let us proceed with the understanding that no such events actually took place, what we have in both Gospels is a work of narrative fiction, they are myths, as such they are packed with hidden meaning.

 Matthew’s Gospel tells us that three wise men, Magi (who are priests of the Persian Zoroaster, visit the Holy family to pay Jesus homage; they present him with gifts of gold and other offerings befitting a royal person: treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 This is real wealth, enough to set Mary and Joseph up for life. If we accept this story as fact, we should not also hold to the notion that Jesus was the son of a humble carpenter.

 Nevertheless, the image is intended to do two things: to establish that Jesus is a royal person, the heir to David’s throne; just as Herod feared, Jesus is a contender.

 The popular interpretation of this reading is to view the Magi themselves as not just wise men, but as kings in their own right, putting their encounter with Jesus on the level of a diplomatic mission, they are of the same class, and they present gifts of the type that the laws of hospitality would demand royal powers share with one another.

 The reading only builds on the foundation of Jesus’ kingship, which the writers of Matthew begin in the presentation of Jesus’ genealogy, it connects him to the astronomers and priestly class of the Persian Empire, to the temples of the aforementioned Zoroaster, who represent the principle devotees of the Cult of Mithras, to which Pharisaic Judaism owes a significant theological debt. Pharisaic Judaism is the Judaism of the diaspora, otherwise known as Rabbinical Judaism, the sect of Judaism to which Jesus and the disciples belonged, to which Paul of Taursus belonged.

 The myth is intended to convey these points and these points only: that Jesus is the heir to David and that he is intimately connected to mysteries of the Persian tradition. The same Persian tradition that was practiced by the emperor Cyrus when he released the Jews from their captivity in Babylon, allowing them to return to Judea and rebuild their temple.

 The Herodian intrigue in this narrative is of secondary importance. It complements the message concerning Jesus’ identity and sets up the Herodian dynasty as a group of villains that the disciples, along with John the Baptist and Jesus will have to contend with throughout their lives. The drama with Herod at Jesus’ birth topologically connects the birth of Jesus to the birth of Moses, and while these are important cues, they are not nearly as important as the Persian theme.

  

First Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6 ©

Above You the Glory of the Lord Appears

 Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples.

 Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears.

 The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.

 Lift up your eyes and look round: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried.

 At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full; since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you; camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 71(72):1-2,7-8,10-13 ©

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

  to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

  and your poor in right judgement.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

In his days justice shall flourish

  and peace till the moon fails.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

  from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts

  shall pay him tribute.

The kings of Sheba and Seba

  shall bring him gifts.

Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,

  all nations shall serve him.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

For he shall save the poor when they cry

  and the needy who are helpless.

He will have pity on the weak

  and save the lives of the poor.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

Second Reading – Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6 ©

It Has Now Been Revealed that Pagans Share the Same Inheritance

You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 2:2

 Alleluia, alleluia!

 We saw his star as it rose and have come to do the Lord homage.

 Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 2:1-12 ©

The Visit of the Magi

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’

 Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

 

A Homily – The Epiphany, A Holy Day of Obligation (Year A)

A Homily – The 2nd Sunday of Christmas, The Solemnity of Mary (Year A)

A Homily – The 2^nd Sunday of Christmas, The Solemnity of Mary, A Holy Day of Obligation (Year A)

  

First Reading - Numbers 6:22-27 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 66(67):2-3, 5, 6, 8 ©

Second Reading – Galatians 4:4-7 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Hebrews 1:1-2

The Gospel According to Luke 2:16 - 21 ©

 

(NJB)

  

Listen!

 Consider the blessing God, the creator of the universe; remember that God is not a lord, free God from that title, and free yourself in doing so.

 Know this, the blessing of God belongs to all God’s children; feel God’s presence, God is always with you, keep yourself in the way of God.

 If you are mindful, you may see the face God in the face of everyone you encounter; treat them as if they were God: your spouse, your friend, your parents and children, the stranger and your enemy (if you have them); for they are God, each and every one of them, God dwells within in them.

 Peace comes through understanding, God is utterly transcendent; God is not a god of tribes or of nations, or even other worlds. God is not circumscribed by any such delineation; God is the God of all creation.

 Listen!

 The psalmist is right to ask God to bless all peoples and all nations; to have pity and to be merciful, and we are right to seek this fulfillment, because this is the promise of God.

 Be mindful.

 God is not confined to one place, neither to one time, nor does God belong to one people. God is the God of everyone, whether they know it or not.

 Therefore seek God’s blessing, not just four yourself; seek it for everyone.

 Listen!

 Consider the teaching of the apostle and know that the death of Jesus was a political murder. It was a sacrifice, but not a sacrifice of redemption. Jesus was not purchasing anything for himself, or for us when he was killed on the cross, he was not paying a debt or offering himself as a substitution for our sins.

 Jesus went to his death to show us the way. Jesus was acting out of love, taking the wrath of the Sanhedrin and the Romans on himself, rather than have that anger visited on his broader group of followers; his family, the disciples and theirs.

 His sacrifice was not magic, it is not mystical or supernatural. Jesus was a faithful son of God, exercising ordinary compassion in extraordinary circumstances. He was acting as a champion of justice, he did so in humility and was denied our mercy.

 Jesus demonstrated his faith every day in his ministry of healing, through his loving service, and finally by his death; he believed in what he taught and and did not deviate from his mission because he trusted God.

 Be mindful of this.

 God’s spirit animates all of us. We are all God’s children, and all of us are the heirs to God’s promise: Christian and non-Christian, alike.

 Listen! God speaks to everyone; listen to the voice of the divine speaking in the secret chamber of your heart.

 Listen! God calls us to justice, to goodness, and to humility.

 Consider the Gospel for today:

 Understand that, the apostle Luke never met Jesus; he was not one of the disciples. Luke was a protégé of Paul, and Paul had never met Jesus either.

 Luke and Paul travelled broadly, meeting many of those that followed Jesus during his life. Paul met with James, who was Jesus’ brother, but they never met Jesus himself; everything they knew about Jesus was hearsay.

 It is important to note, that while the Gospel of Luke bears Luke’s name, it was not written by Luke. None of the Gospels were written by individuals, all of them were exercises in collective development, and the writing took place over generations as the communities who authored them did their best to narrate their understanding of the life and mission of Jesus in terms their audience would understand.

 The Gospel of Luke says that Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus were visited by three shepherds. This is presented in distinction to Matthews Gospel which says that they holy family was visited by three Magi, who were “wise men” sometimes called kings, but the Magi were priests in Persia. The Gospel of John, the earliest Gospel, and that of Mark, neither of them treat the subject at all.

 Matthew’s community and Luke’s community were writing to very different audiences. As such, they tailored the narrative of the birth of Jesus to them, each creating in their own way a fiction that was pleasing to the people to whom they were preaching.

 This is the essence of propaganda, to understand the Gospels, this must be understood first of all:  The Gospels contain some legitimate historical data, but the facts are difficult to sift out. They Gospels are the product of artifice; they are fictions, speaking to some truths that are universal, and relating some true events, but they cannot be relied on as a true account of anything

 They speak to us of historical realities but they are not historical narratives. The Gospels are propaganda, which is not to say that they are bad, it is only to say that they must be taken for what they are.

  

First Reading - Numbers 6:22-27 ©

 They Are to Call Down My Name on the Sons of Israel, and I Will Bless Them

 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

 May the Lord bless you and keep you.

 May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

 May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”

 This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’

  

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 66(67):2-3, 5, 6, 8 ©

 O God, be gracious and bless us.

 O God, be gracious and bless us

 and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

  and all nations learn your saving help.

 O God, be gracious and bless us.

 Let the nations be glad and exult

  for you rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

  you guide the nations on earth.

 O God, be gracious and bless us.

 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

  let all the peoples praise you.

May God still give us his blessing

  till the ends of the earth revere him.

 O God, be gracious and bless us.

  

Second Reading – Galatians 4:4-7 ©

 God Sent His Son, Born of a Woman

 When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.

  

Gospel Acclamation – Hebrews 1:1-2

 Alleluia, alleluia!

 At various times in the past, and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.

 Alleluia!

  

The Gospel According to Luke 2:16 - 21 ©

 The Shepherds Hurried to Bethlehem and Found the Baby Lying in the Manger

 The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.

  When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception

 

The 2^nd Sunday of Christmas, The Solemnity of Mary, A Holy Day of Obligation (Year A)

 

A Homily - The Third Sunday of Advent (Year A)

 A Homily - The Third Sunday of Advent (Year A)

  

2022.12.11

  

First Reading - Isaiah 35:1-6, 10 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 145(146):6-10 ©

Second Reading - James 5:7-10 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Isaiah 61:1 (Luke 4:18)

The Gospel According to Matthew 11:2 - 11 ©

  

(NJB)

  

Listen to the prophet Isaiah is a prayer of hope. Listen and be mindful, do not mistake the poetry written here as the literal truth or the historical record of anything.

 This is a prayer from the school of Isaiah, it is a prayer for healing and restoration, it is a prayer for salvation: a state of being that God, the creator of the universe, that God intends for everyone …but not in this life.

 This prayer is not a promise concerning the expectations we should hold for our lives in this world. It is a prayer reflecting our hope for the next.

 The hope that is expressed here is the hope of divine deliverance, not from present peril but from the material condition altogether.

 There is a fundamental choice before us:

 We may choose to live our lives as if we believe in the things we hope for; the belief in what we hope for is an extension of trust in the divine, this mode of trust is the essence of faith, which is not a thing you can possess, nor a state of being, it is an action best expressed in the imperfect form…never complete in the present.

 In the next world we may witness the entirety of the created order lifted-up in the exultation of God; we may experience it like that, but this will not be a state of mindless adulation, it will not be a grand and endless glorification…that is not the way of the divine, whatever jubilation there will be, will have the form of thanksgiving and humility according to the simple—endless bounty of God’s love.

 I am with Isaiah when they express the hope that we will face our fears and watch them disappear; I am with those who teach us to have courage in the now, and patience in the present moment, being of service to one another.

 I am not with Isaiah when he petitions for vengeance in the hunt for retribution. Rather, I am with Jesus who took no enemies to himself, even from among his persecutors, who forgave those who hurt him, making that his final prayer…issued from the cross.

 This is a prayer for healing, for universal healing; take this prayer from Isaiah and seek in your own heart the will to heal everyone. Take up this prayer and in that moment you will experience world to come in the here and now.

 Now, listen to the psalmist who instructs us to praise God, creator of the universe, to praise God with words and song, God is the author of our salvation

 Praise God and leave aside the trust you give to princes and kings, and the other little lords of the church and the world. Listen to the psalmist and before wary of his words, knowing in your heart that God is not a king, and kings are not God.

 Consider the life of a human being, consider the many years that the human beings have walked the Earth; consider its brevity. Our window on life is but a spark in the night. We are born, we breathe for a time, then we are gone. Consider that the Earth itself will not survive the dying of our sun and that even our galaxy will vanish in the cold and dark.

 Consider these things and consider how happy are those whose help is God, the creator of the universe. Happy are those who assist God in the divine work of mercy and justice.

 Lift up the oppressed, wherever they are: feed the hungry, free the prisoner, teach the ignorant. Pray for your own faults to be forgiven, your own blindness lifted. Advocate for those who need an advocate, care for those who cannot care for themselves. Find those who are lost and bring them home.

 Be especially mindful of this:

 If we think of the second coming of Jesus as an actual return; we are mistaken. Jesus will not return in the flesh, because that is against nature, and like all human beings we each have but one life to live on this Earth.

 If we think of Jesus returning to Earth as God, of his coming to bring about the end of time, drawing down the curtain as if it was the closing of a play; we are mistaken. God will not intervene in the life cycle of our planet, of our solar system, of our galaxy or of the universe as a whole…God does not do that, the order of creation is absolutely free from divine coercion.

 This must be accepted and you must know that the apostle was wrong to engage in speculation of this nature.

 Be mindful of this error; it is not prophecy, do not repeat it.

 Take these words to heart: be patient, live a good and loving life; even in the midst of turmoil. When we fulfill the promise of the way, the way becomes the reality of our lives…even if only for a moment.

 Praise God, and pray for God’s servants wherever they are, knowing that when the will of God is done, the message is clear and the mission is pure.

 It sounds like this: love one another, as God loves you.

 Consider the Gospel for today:

 John came before Jesus; it is said that they were cousins, but the evidence for this claim is scant.

It is said that James, the apostle and bishop of Jerusalem was Jesus’ brother, but that claim has long been rejected by the Church. There is no way for us to know the veracity of these claims, and it does not matter.

 John came before Jesus; for a time the two of them worked as contemporaries, they were cousins who were both called to the same mission. It is said that they met at the river Jordan where John was carrying out his ministry of repentance and the baptism of restoration.

 John baptized Jesus when they had this meeting, the moment is presented in the Gospel for today as a passing of the torch from John to Jesus.

 There is no way for us to know if this event ever even happened, or if it did that John and Jesus viewed this encounter as such...but it does not matter, because the historical realities behind this narrative have been transcended by allegory and metaphor.

 John prepared the way for Jesus, just as the Gospel for today indicates. He was arrested shortly thereafter, and shortly after that he was murdered. 

 John and Jesus belonged to a movement, a movement of the people, the am haaretz, a movement for the people, a movement that called for justice, unity and salvation all people.

 They saw their work as something connected to the prophets like the School of Isaiah. They were reformers, they were people whose preaching synthesized the sacred texts, boiling the law and the commandments down to their essence, then returning them to the people in the simplest form.

 “Love God, with all your strength and all your heart, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

 That is the whole of the law, and all the words of the prophet were summarized therein.

 Many of John’s followers became followers of Jesus. The leaders in John’s group became leaders among Jesus’ disciples, but not all who had followed John came along, and it is to them that this gospel is pointed.

 It was written to remind all new Christians: first John, then Jesus.

 As a purely literary device this story builds upon a theme of the ancient Hebrews, derived from the patriarchal narratives wherein God’s favor falls to the younger son; for Able over Cain, for Isaac over Ishmael, for Jacob (Israel) over Esau, for Joseph over all of his brothers.

 Today’s gospel is in essence, a political screed. It is a message to the holdouts among John’s group, expressing love and pride in John’s work, while telling them in no uncertain terms that the way is with Jesus.

 This is the beginning of Church politics, and as with all such actions, it brought healing to some aspects of the divide while exasperating others.

 Such is the way of human beings.   

 Listen and be mindful.

  

First Reading - Isaiah 35:1-6, 10 ©

 God Himself is Coming to Save You

 Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom, let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, let it rejoice and sing for joy.

 The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God.

 Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees and say to all faint hearts, ‘Courage! Do not be afraid.

 ‘Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God; he is coming to save you.’

 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy for those the Lord has ransomed shall return.

 They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended.

  

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 145(146):6-10 ©

 Come, Lord, and save us.

 It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,

  who is just to those who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

  the Lord, who sets prisoners free,

 Come, Lord, and save us.

 It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

  who raises up those who are bowed down,

the Lord, who protects the stranger

  and upholds the widow and orphan.

Come, Lord, and save us.

 It is the Lord who loves the just

  but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign for ever,

  Zion’s God, from age to age.

 Come, Lord, and save us.

 Alleluia!

 

 Second Reading - James 5:7-10 ©

 Do Not Lose Heart; the Lord's Coming Will Be Soon

 Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example, brothers, in submitting with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

  

Gospel Acclamation – Isaiah 61:1 (Luke 4:18)

 Alleluia, alleluia!

 The spirit of the Lord has been given to me.

He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor.

 Alleluia!

  

The Gospel According to Matthew 11:2 - 11 ©

 'A Greater than John the Baptist Has Never Been Seen'

 John in his prison had heard what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?’ Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.’

 As the messengers were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says:

 ‘Look, I am going to send my messenger before you;

he will prepare your way before you.

 ‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.’

  

The Third Sunday of Advent (Year A)