Fr. Foeckler’s Lecture Note- Dec 9th, 2025

[Michaela]

Fr. Foeckler’s Lecture Note: Dec 9th, 2025

 

2nd Sunday of Advent

Gospel

Matthew 3:1-12

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.”

 

 

 

The Feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is this Friday. I remember a huge celebration of the Lady of Guadalupe prepared in Des Plaines. Years ago, then new bishop started 7 yr preparation for the Lady of Guadalupe and Juan Diego there. Our Lady of Guadalupe is also patroness of Phoenix.

 

Yesterday was also a day for one of the huge Advent celebration, Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

Gospel: John the Baptist call to repentance. He was extremely popular, throughout all the Judea and surrounding regions, and even in Pharisees and Sadducees. He preached the Kingdom of Heaven.

Camel hair dresses and leather belt: he dressed just like Elijah, who is the greatest prophets after Moses. Isaiah prophesied that there will be one preaching in the desert. All the prophets talked about new Jerusalem, new temple, new wave and new age. This was the time of the glorification in Israel. Not the kingdom of Israel is being preached, but the Kingdom of Heaven is. People in that time were well versed, so they admired Pharisees.

Moses wandered around the desert for 40 years. After 40th year, they entered the promised land across the Jordan.

 

St. Paul said in the reading on Sunday.

 

Romans 15:4-9

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.

 

The Scriptures here mean the Old Testament. St. Paul says the Scriptures were given for us as instructions. People would know what it was meant to when the Scriptures were referred to. The Kingdom of Heaven does not mean one on the earth, but one that will come in the future. Jesus was fulfilling the promise John the Baptist was preaching about.

 

Monday’s reading.

Reading 2

Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

Brothers and sisters:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.

 

It is not a worldly kingdom, but one in the Heaven.

 

Reading 1

Isaiah 11:1-10

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.

 

Jesse was the father of King David. In the Isaiah at the end of chapter 11, it is described that the tree of Jesse will be chopped down to a stump. Within one generation after David, the kingdom will chopped down, completely lost in the world. The monarch of David was lost. The royal lineage was lost. But from the stump of the Jesse’s lineage, spout came up. Joseph of Nazareth was a descendant of the David. Mary was also in the tribe of David.

 

Israelites were sent back to Jerusalem by King Cyrus. God used Cyrus to defeat Babylon, the power holding the Jews captive, opening gates and making ways smooth for their return. The exiled will be back in 70 years.

 

Decree of Cyrus.

2 Chronicles 22

* In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to realize the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD roused the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia, to spread this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing:o

23

“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. All among you, therefore, who belong to his people, may their God be with them; let them go up.”

 

 

 

A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.

 

St. Paul looked at the Scriptures. People weren’t faithful, so an ax chopped down the tree. Because of the infidelity of the Jew of the time, the kingdom/ temple collapsed. Jews surrendered to the Babylonian. But from the stump, God raised the kingdom.

 

“As it was written in the prophets” St. Matthew has written this phrase 12 times in his gospel. They all want to say it was said previously. There’s a Jewish lady spotted 3-400 prophesies in the Old Testaments that had been fulfilled in the New Testament, and 28 of them were fulfilled in one day, on the day Jesus was crucified. She concluded Jehoshua is the Lord. She converted to christianity. Archeological and historical evidence was abundant for Jesus, for multiple biographies (up to 12) about Him were written before one generation after His time.

 

St. John the Baptist pointed that Jesus was the only religious leader that his appearance was prophesied multiple times.

 

We are waiting for the new heaven, and new world. Advent is for us waiting for the new world.

 

Dr. Roy Schoeman was a Havard professor who was Jewish then an atheist then became a christian.

 

There’s a theory, conversion of the Jewish people is the last sign of the New Kingdom.

 

What is the fruit of repentance.

Repentance: 2 aspects. One is the regret, the other for repair.

Zacchaeus, a tax collector, repaired damages by pledging to repay 4times.

 

Internal conversion + external showing.

repentance / reparation is not about self, but about God

my submission about God

Retreat

 

Shepherd finding one lost sheep

psalm 118

 

Jubilee year of Hope

Hope doesn’t disappoint

Romans 5:11

Te Deum we will never hope in vain

 

The Te Deum

 

You are God: we praise you;
You are God: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
And the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
The eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death,
And opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
Bought with the price of your own blood,
And bring us with your saints
To glory everlasting.
Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
Govern and uphold them now and always.
Day by day we bless you.
We praise your name forever.
Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
Lord, show us your love and mercy;
For we put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope:
And we shall never hope in vain

 

 

 

We are all children of Abraham by faith.

 

 

 

Reference:

 

Bible Commentary by:

Scott Hahn

Brent Pitre

[Author]

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