SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
7 DECEMBER 2025
When John
the Baptist sees many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he calls
them a “brood of vipers.” They are not
coming to listen to him or to repent.
Instead, they are coming as investigators. They are investigating him, because he is the
son of Zechariah, a prominent priest in the Temple. A priest’s son should be in the temple,
dressed in the robes of a priest.
Instead, he is in the desert, dressed in clothing made of camel’s hair
with a leather belt around his waist.
Instead of inviting worshipers to be ritually purified in the water of
mikvahs, he is baptizing those who listen to him and choose to repent in the
Jordan River.
The
Pharisees and Sadducees see no need for repentance, because they are sons of
Abraham. He insists that being sons of
Abraham is not enough for being part of the Kingdom of God, which he is
announcing. Their ancestors had traveled
through the desert to cross the Jordan River into freedom. Now, he invites them go through the waters of
the Jordan to be part of a new exodus, the kingdom of God which is at
hand. He wears the clothing of the
prophet Elijah. At the Jordan River,
Elijah had departed in a fiery chariot and thrown his cloak on Elisha to name
him as his successor. As the new Elijah,
he points to the coming of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, whose sandals
John is not worthy to carry.
The season
of Advent is a time of preparation. We prepare to celebrate the first coming of
the Lord at Christmas. But the Season of
Advent is also a time for baptized people to prepare for the Lord’s Second
Coming. We became members of the Body of
Christ when we went through the waters of Baptism. Baptism imparts in us the identity of Jesus
Christ which we can never earn on our own.
To prepare for the Lord’s second coming, we must examine how we are
living that identity. If we are failing
in any way, we need to repent. We will
recognize the Lord when he comes, not because we are baptized Catholics, but
because we understand the importance of sincere repentance. As we rush around preparing for Christmas,
take some time to make a good Confession.
I am here every Sunday from 8:15 to 9:15 to offer the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Take the advice of the
Baptist and allow the fire of God’s reconciling love to burn away anything that
has separated or damaged our relationship with Jesus Christ. Allow the Holy Spirit to put Jesus Christ
back in the center of our lives, instead of at the corners.
We do not
prepare for the Lord’s Second Coming in fear or anxiety. Instead, we prepare as Saint Paul recommends
to the Romans. We prepare with hope by
embracing two important attitudes. First,
we must endure, be persistent, in choosing to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, especially
in the face of adversity. Second, we
need to allow the Scriptures to encourage us.
Saint Paul makes an important promise.
If we listen carefully to the Scriptures at Sunday Mass or in our own
individual reflections during Advent, we will grow in greater harmony with each
other and grow in a new determination to work for the good of others.
The Prophet
Isaiah gives this hope to his people suffering in adversity. The tree of Jesse, the kingdom of David, has
been destroyed by the Assyrians and cut down to a stump. From that stump, the spirit of the Lord will
cause a shoot to blossom. The shoot will
bring a peace so incredible and profound that natural enemies will live
together in perfect harmony. The wolf
will be the guest of the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid. A baby will play by the cobra’s den. In preparing to celebrate the Lord’s coming
at Christmas, we know that Jesus Christ has fulfilled this prophecy. The complete fulfillment of this prophecy
will happen only when the Lord comes again.
But, as we wait and repent, we can know the peace of Jesus Christ in our
hearts, as we recognize him in this Eucharist and in our daily lives.
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