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Lectionary Readings for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, Year A

Readings, Responsorial Psalm and Gospel

Reading I, Is 11, 1-10

A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
He judges the poor with justice.

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 the knowledge of the Lord,
as waters covers the sea.

The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm, Ps 72, 1-2. 7-8. 12-13. 17. R. v. 7

R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness
of peace for ever.

1. 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. R.

2. 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. R.

3. For he shall rescue the poor man 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. R.

4. 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. R.

Reading II, Rom 15, 4-9

A Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans
Christ, the hope of all men.

Everything written before our time was written for our
instruction, that we might derive hope from the lessons
of patience and the words of encouragement in the Scriptures.
May God, the source of all patience and encouragement,
enable you to live in perfect harmony with one another
according to the spirit of Christ Jesus, so that with one
heart and voice you may glorify God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ.

Accept one another, then, as Christ accepted you, for
the glory of God. Yes, I affirm that Christ became the
servant of the Jews because of God's faithfulness in
fulfilling the promises to the patriarchs whereas the
Gentiles glorify God because of his mercy. As Scripture
has it, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles
and I will sing to your name.

The Word of the Lord.

Gospel, Mt 3, 1-12

Alleluia Lk 3, 4. 6
R. Alleluia. Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight his paths: all mankind shall see
the salvation of God. R. Alleluia.


A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Matthew
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.

When John the Baptizer made his appearance as a preacher
in the desert of Judea, this was his theme: "Reform your
lives! The reign of God is at hand." It was of him that
the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said,

"A herald's voice in the desert:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.'"

John was clothed in a garment of camel's hair and wore
a leather belt around his waist. Grasshoppers and wild
honey were his food. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan were going out
to him. They were being baptized by him in the Jordan
River as they confessed their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were
stepping forward for this bath, he said to them: "You
brood of vipers! Who told you to flee from the wrath
to come? Give some evidence that you mean to reform.
Do not pride yourselves on the claim, 'Abraham is our
father.' I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham
from these very stones. Even now that ax is laid to the
root of the tree. Every tree that is not fruitful will
be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you
in water for the sake of reform, but the one who will
follow me is more powerful than I. I am not even fit
to carry his sandals. He it is who will baptize you
in the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in
his hand. He will clear his threshing floor, and gather
his grain into the barn, but the chaff he will burn in
unquenchable fire."

The Gospel of the Lord.


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