03 - 3rd Week of Advent

Readings and Gospel

Lectionary for this day - This has all the readings and Gospel

Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 - The Anointed Bearer of Glad Tidings; and Thanksgiving for God’s Deliverance

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 - Church Order

• First Letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians

John 1:6-8, 19-28 - John the Baptist’s Testimony to Himself

Who / What / Where is...?

Isaiah

• His name means "God is Salvation".

• Isaiah is one of the prophets in the Old Testament -- around 742 BC to 701 BC, and it may have continued even longer, until 687 BC. He appeared at a critical moment in Israel’s history. 

• More information here.

John

• Means "Yahweh has been Gracious"

• "John the Apostle", "John the Evangelist", "John the Beloved"

  • • He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.

    • 12 Apostles - the first 12 people that Jesus called to follow Him.

John the Baptist

• He is a cousin of Jesus. 

• His mother is Elizabeth, whom Mary visited. Both were pregnant with their respective sons. (Luke 1:39-45)

• He encouraged the Jews to repent. This was marked by the baptism in the Jordan River.  He baptized many Jews including Jesus. (Matthew 3:13-17)

Levite

• Jewish males who claim to be descendants from the Tribe of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob and Leah.

• The Tribe of Levi served particular religious duties for the Israelites.

Elijah

• A prophet.

• His name means "My God is Yahweh".

• He defended the worship of God over that of Baal (the Canaanite false god).

Prophet 

• A person who is in close communication with and sent by God to bring His message

Pharisees

• "Pharisee" is derived from Ancient Greek Pharisaios (Φαρισαῖος), from Aramaic Pərīšā (פְּרִישָׁא), plural Pərīšayyā (פְּרִישַׁיָּא), meaning "set apart, separated". (Source: Wikipedia)

• The Pharisees (/ˈfærəsiːz/; Hebrew: פְּרוּשִׁים, romanized: Pərūšīm) were a Jewish social movement and a school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became the foundational, liturgical, and ritualistic basis for Rabbinic Judaism. (Source: Wikipedia)

• Pharisees are marked by devotion to the law, written and oral, and the Scribes, experts in the law, belonged predominantly to this group.

Dig deeper into this Sunday's Readings and Gospel with teachings from Brant Pitre.

Saints