Second Sunday of Advent

Book of Isaiah

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.
On that day, The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Psalms

O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
And the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
The lives of the poor he shall save.
May his name be blessed forever;
As long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
All the nations shall proclaim his happiness.

Letter to the Romans

Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus,
that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.
For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs,
but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: "Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name."

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
(and) saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'"
John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

St. Barbara(Virgin and Martyr (3rd century))

SAINT BARBARA Virgin and Martyr(3rd century) St. Barbara's pagan father, Dioscorus, kept her secluded in a lonely tower to make her renounce Jesus Christ. In this that forced solitude, St. Barbara gave herself to prayer and study; and secretly received formation and Baptism from a priest. Dioscorus, on discovering his daughter's conversion, was beside himself with rage. He denounced St. Barbara before a civil tribunal. As a consequence, she was horribly tortured and afterward beheaded. Martyrologies state that Dioscorus acted as St. Barbara's executioner. His life was cut short when he was killed by a lightning bolt. Readers may assume that God's mercy and St. Barbara's prayers ended Dioscorus' life before he lost his soul.

St. John Damascus(Syrian monk and priest (c. 675-749))

St. John of Damascus Syrian monk and priest(c. 675-749) Saint John Damascene has the double honor of being the last of the fathers of the Eastern Church and the greatest of her poets. Little else is known about his life. The account of John of Jerusalem, two hundred years after the Saint's death, contains fact and legend. St. John Damascus' ancestors, according to his biographer, remained Christian though Damascus fell to Islamic armies. They were employed in judicial offices to administer the sultan's Christian subjects. St. John's father used his great wealth to free Christian slaves. After his birth, St. John was baptized, likely by Peter II, Bishop of Damascus. As a young adult, St. John's character and achievements earned him the Saracens' respect. In time, he was compelled to accept an office of higher trust and dignity than his father held. As the Iconoclastic controversy became more violent, St. John published the first of three treatises on the Veneration Due to Images. They were probably composed when Leo the Isaurian decreed against images in 730. St. John was ordained before publishing the second Treatise. The third treatise expanded upon the freedom of expression, in the defense of basic rights. The Treatises were disseminated throughout the Christian world. St. John wrote religious poetry: a heritage of the Eastern Church. He also protected the Church's doctrines through publications. He also published apologetics to heretic groups. His three great hymns or "canons" are on Easter, the Ascension, and Saint Thomas' Sunday. His defense of icons, freedom of speech, and basic rights madehim, "Doctor of Christian Art."

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2022 / Catholic Missal of december 2022