SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
10 DECEMBER 2023
In
this section of the Prophet Isaiah, the Prophet speaks a word of comfort to his
people. They need to hear it. They have languished in captivity in Babylon
for five decades. Everything they had
cherished had been destroyed – the city of Jerusalem, their temple, their
leadership, and their future. The
Prophet gives them hope. It is not a hope
based on wishful thinking. It is a hope based
on God’s faithful promises in the past. This
hope is based on God forgiving them for their infidelity to the Covenant, as
God had done many times in the past. God
will make straight paths for them in the desert, as he had done for their
ancestors in leading them through a desert from slavery in Egypt to freedom in
the Promised Land. Unlike their human
leaders who had served themselves, God will be a loving shepherd leading them
back to Mount Zion, where they will once again proclaim tidings of good news.
That is why
the Lord has led us into this Season of Advent.
No matter how messed up our troubled world may be, Advent invites us to
renew our hope that the Lord will come again to make all things new. At the Second Coming, there will be no more
brutal wars and disrespect for the dignity of the human person. No matter how difficult our personal lives
may be, Advent invites us to peer through the darkness and see the light of
Christ’s love. This hope is not wishful
thinking, like hoping that the Chicago Bears will turn things around and start
winning more games. It is a hope based
on God’s action in the past.
We hear the
beginning of the Gospel according to Mark.
He proclaims incredibly joyful tidings.
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Anointed One, the long-awaited
Messiah. He is the Son of God, not just
another human being speaking for God.
Throughout this new Liturgical Year, we will hear from the Mark’s Gospel. Mark has already given us the truth about
Jesus Christ that people will gradually come to know. With this truth in mind, we can wait to
celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ in a couple of weeks. We wait in hope to celebrate that birth will
make Christmas much more meaningful for us.
Our waiting renews our hope that the Mystery of the Incarnation makes a
difference in our lives. Our waiting
also renews our hope that we will be prepared for second coming of Jesus Christ
at a time we do not know.
Saint John
the Baptist gives us some hints on how to wait for the Coming of the Lord. He does not proclaim his message in the
sacred temple or on the crowded streets of Jerusalem. He goes to the barren desert, where he points
the way to the promised Messiah. Mindful
of the food consumed by his ancestors in the Desert, he eats locusts and wild
honey. Like Elijah, the first prophet of
ancient Israel, he is clothed in camel’s hair.
We don’t need to eat locusts and honey.
We don’t need to go shopping for camel’s hair clothing. But, the Baptist invites us to withdraw from
the hectic pace of the “holiday season” to spend some time in quiet
prayer. When we take a few moments each
day to reflect in prayer, we can be more aware of the ways that the Lord has
come into our lives. Our hope is based
on the Lord’s faithfulness to us in the past.
Getting to know him better now prepares us for his Second Coming.
The Baptist
also calls us to repent. In quiet
prayer, we become more aware of the times we have chosen to ignore the Lord’s
presence or deny him by our actions.
Instead of carrying our guilt on our shoulders or blaming other people
for our problems, we can bring them our sins to the Sacrament of Reconciliation
and give them over to the Lord. In this
Sacrament, he truly takes away our sins.
He gives us the grace to move forward and do what the Baptist did –
point away from ourselves and draw attention to Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. That is our hope. We will not be disappointed.
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