SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
9 DECEMBER 2018
Saint
Luke has a keen sense of history. He
writes his Gospel to distinguish the period of Jesus Christ from the period of
Israel, God’s chosen people. He writes
the Acts of the Apostles to tell about the history of the Church, begun with
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
We see his keen sense of history in today’s Gospel, when he cites the
timing of this event in the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. The seven leaders are the superstars of his
day. The Roman emperor rules with an
iron fist, and all citizens understand the consequences if they try to escape
his fist. Pontius Pilate is in charge of
the Roman Empire in Galilee, while Herod is in charge of Galilee. His brother Philip is the wealthy and corrupt
leader of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias is enjoying his fame in
Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas are the
powerful members of the priestly class who manage the Temple in Jerusalem. Beginning with the most prominent and ending
with the least, he uses the number 7 to say that the time has been fulfilled.
But the
Word of God does not come to these movers and shakers. The Word of God comes to a strange son of an insignificant
priest who takes his turn serving in the Temple. The Word of God does not come into
magnificent palaces. The Word of God
comes in the desert, that barren wasteland where there are few distractions and
where everyone can roam freely without being stopped by guards at private
palaces. Having received the Word of
God, John does not tell people to trust in the ability of their leaders to make
their lives easier. Instead, he invites
them to step into the waters of the Jordan River and repent. He invites them level the mountains of pride
and arrogance and materialism. He
invites them to fill in the age old depths and gorges where there has been a
shortage of justice and obedience to God.
He demands a complete change of heart, because the Messiah is coming.
That same
Word of God comes to us today. Like the
crowds who came to listen to John, we have stepped away from the sights and
sounds of the “Holiday Season” to enter the barren desert of Advent. John reminds us that the Lord is coming again
– at the end of time and at the end of our lives. He warns us to be prepared for that coming,
because we do not know when it will happen.
Instead of trusting that the promises of the superstars of our day will
save us, and instead of embracing the lifestyles of the rich and famous, he calls
us to become more intentional members of the Kingdom of God, which is in our
midst. Wealth and status do not
determine our worth. Our worth is
determined by our relationship with Christ.
John calls
us to examine the priorities in our lives to make a path for the Lord’s coming. We need to level the mountains in our lives. Mountains can take the shape of accumulating
possessions, or building up our good names, or putting obstacles to those who
have offended us. Valleys also need to
be filled in. Valleys can take the form
of not putting aside enough time for personal prayer or failing to do the works
of mercy or creating divides for enemies.
The best way
to level mountains and fill in valleys is to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A good examination of conscience reveals
those mountains that need to be leveled and those valleys that need to be
filled in. To quote the Prophet Baruch,
all of us have allowed ourselves to be carried away from Christ by embracing
the enemies of sinful bad choices. The
Lord’s mercy carries us back, carried aloft in glory as on royal thrones. G.K.
Chesterton noted that humanity has been slowly drifting away from God. When that happens, we find nothing but “cures
that don’t cure, blessings that don’t bless, and solutions that do not
solve.” John the Baptist points to the
One who does cure, the One who does bless, and the One who offers the ultimate
solution. He calls us to level the way
for his coming.
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