2nd
Sunday of Advent (Year B)
First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Second Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-14 Gospel Reading: Mark 1:1-8
“PREPARE
THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE STRAIGHT HIS PATHS.”
Once,
when a conference of ministers was held in a certain town, a certain
old preacher had sat quietly through it for a number of days until,
toward the end of the conference, he was suddenly and unexpectedly
called upon to speak. He arose thoughtfully and almost stumblingly
fumbled for his words. Finally, his thoughts took form, his words
fell in the rhythm of a marching column, and his impassioned oratory
beat down upon the upturned faces of his audience until, as he arose
to his peroration and reached his climax, the whole sedate conference
broke into a spontaneous applause that shook the room, according to
an item in Printer's Ink.
He
had delivered the master oration of the conference. When finally the
applause subsided, a cocky young Doctor of Divinity strolled up to
him. "That was a masterly address you delivered
extemporaneously. Yet you must have had some preparation to have done
it so well. How long did it take you to prepare it?"
The
older man looked gently for some time at the younger one before he
answered. And then he said: "Sixty
years, young man, sixty years!”
We
are in the Holy Season of Advent and it is actually a time of hope
and also a time for spiritual
preparation
for the coming of Our Lord not only at Christmas, which we celebrate
every year, but also for His Second & Final Coming at the end of
times. Let us then be always prepared to receive the Lord during this
Christmas, or indeed whenever he comes.
Today,
on the Second Sunday of Advent, the
emphasis begins to shift from the Lord’s final coming in glory to
his coming in human flesh. Every
year, on this day, as preparation
for Christmas, the Church leads us on pilgrimage to the Jordan River,
so that we might enroll in the school of John
the Baptist,
hear his message, and put it into action in our lives. At first
glance, it seems like a strange choice to meet him at the Jordan, 30
years after
Christ’s birth, millennia before
his Second Coming. But the reason why the Church always visits John
at the Jordan is because he was the one chosen by God the Father from
all eternity to get His people ready to receive His Son, who was
already walking toward the Jordan River to inaugurate his public
ministry. The Gospel Reading of today from St. Mark presents John
the Baptist as our model for Advent preparation;
he is the precursor who announced the Lord's coming and who prepared
the people by preaching them “the
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
The
Scripture Readings of today tell us about the concern of God He has
for His people and at the same time admonish the people to prepare
the way spiritually for the coming of the Lord. In the First Reading
from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the Prophet consoles the people
of Israel in exile and and assures them of the fulfillment of the
promise of the Messiah. In this passage normally known as 'the
poem of consolation',
God shows how he cares for each person individually. In the Second
Reading from his 2nd
Letter, St. Peter speaks strongly against those who denied the Second
Coming of Christ and says that 'the
Day of the Lord'
will come like a thief and the Lord will establish his Kingdom of
truth, justice and peace in a new heaven and new earth. The Gospel
Reading of today from St. Mark presents John the Baptist as
the precursor of the birth of the Messiah. John the Baptist called
all
to “prepare
the way of the Lord, make straight his paths”.
He proclaimed the Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins
and announced the coming of Jesus who would baptize them with the
Holy Spirit. The preparatory work announced by John is the way we’re
called to get ourselves ready to receive the Lord who is coming.
THE
POEM OF CONSOLATION:
In
the
First Reading of today from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, which is
normally known as 'The
Poem of Consolation',
the Prophet brings comforting words to the suffering Israelite people
in exile, whose whole world was in disarray and hopelessness; people
who had no comfort and security. In the midst of their mourning, he
is able to say to the grieving city of God that God has not abandoned
her or her children. Jerusalem is not to be cast down in mourning but
to witness to the power and radiance of God. She is to clothe herself
in the glory of God and proclaim that God is with her for ever. In a
way, the passage summarizes the theology of exile. It gives reasons
why there was exile at all. Of course it was not because of God’s
lack of power, love and protection. Rather it was in response to
people’s negligence of their faith in God, their sin. With Israel's
endurance and atonement, the Lord uses the mouth of the Prophet to
bring them comfort and hope, which they needed so badly and
assures them of the fulfillment of the promise of the Messiah.
But in
spite of the fact that their sin is atoned for, the coming of the
Messiah can only be meaningful if they made the conscious effort to
welcome him namely putting away all evil or the works of darkness. So
he says, “In
the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the
wasteland a highway for our God. Every valley shall be filled in,
...”
Again,
not only is the Prophet to console them, he assures the Israelite
people that the coming of the Lord will be characterized by subduing
of nations under him. All sovereignty including those oppressing the
Israelite people will be subdued. The vulnerable will have a place in
his network of salvation. This is because he is like a shepherd king
feeding his flock, gathering them against his breast. The shepherd
king attribute of Christ is made clear again in that he will bring
hope to the vulnerable.
AWAITNG
THE COMING OF THE LORD:
The
2nd
Letter of St. Peter, from which our Second Reading comes – with its
reference to the 'Second
Coming'
of the Lord – is one of the last texts of the New Testament to be
written. It reflects the mood of the early Church, as it comes to
terms with the fact that they faced an indefinite wait before the
Lord’s promised return. Just
as the First Reading was a consolation to the Israelite people in
exile, the Second Reading is a reminder that as we await the Lord,
whether he comes early or not, we must not relapse into sin or take
advantage of his delay to do evil. In this Reading, St. Peter shows
us that, while we prepare the way of the Lord, three things are
absolutely necessary to know and understand: First, the Lord is not
slow about his promise of coming; He is patient with us, not wanting
any to perish, but to come to repentance. Second, 'the
Day of the Lord'
will come like a thief with the heavens set ablaze and dissolved, the
elements melted with fire, and the earth and everything that is done
on it dissolved and new heavens a new earth will be created in which
righteousness dwells. Third, leading lives of holiness as a way of
hastening the coming of the Lord is an absolute necessity - since all
things are going to be dissolved in this way. For this, you and I are
expected to be found at peace with God, ourselves, and everyone. And
God requires a response.
“PREPARE
THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE STRAIGHT HIS PATHS.”:
The
Gospel Reading of today is the beginning of the Good News according
to St. Mark. The opening verse - “The
beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
sets
the theme for his Gospel. This sets the stage for all that follows in
the entire Gospel. St. Mark tells us that this is the beginning of
the story of Jesus which commences with his life and his ministry but
continues on to include our own times. That is the story he wants to
tell, or rather, the good news he wants to proclaim, gradually
unfolding identity of the man Jesus as 'the
Son of God',
which
is ultimately pronounced by a pagan soldier at the foot of the cross
saying, “He
is truly the Son of God.”
The
opening verse is also the profession of faith. These words fling us
right into the middle of Jesus' cause for coming into the world. In
the Gospel St. Mark tells us that the story of Jesus did not begin
with his birth on earth but began in the mind of God from the
beginning of times. Thus it
shows us that the advent of Jesus must be understood as a part of
God’s saving plan. God fulfilled the plan He had for us when
creation began. He raised us to the dignity of divine son-ship by the
incarnation and made us inherit the Kingdom of God.
Now,
the First Reading provides the background for the Gospel Reading.
John the Baptist emerges here as the immediate precursor of Jesus.
“Behold, I am sending my messenger
ahead of you ….Prepare
the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”
Mark attributes this prophecy to Isaiah but in fact it also combines
phrases from the Exodus and the Prophet Malachi. By combining the Old
Testament texts St. Mark shows that John the Baptist brings together
the Old Testament tradition of promise for which Jesus is the
fulfillment. As precursor, John prepares the people by calling them
to reorient their lives and turn back to God. This is symbolized by
the proclamation of “a
baptism
of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
John
the Baptist's preparation for the coming of Jesus was not aesthetic
or physical beautification. He calls for a spiritual preparation. A
spiritual preparation is crucial and important for the coming of the
Messiah or Lord. The response of the people to this call of
conversion is noteworthy. In
Mark's description of John's ministry, he highlights the fact that
the people confessed their sins in response to the Baptist's call to
repentance.
Again,
St. Mark
describes John the Baptist's clothing and food in a way reminiscent
of Elijah - “John
was
clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed
on locusts and wild honey.”
He
also wants the reader to make the connection between John the Baptist
and Elijah, another great Old Testament prophet who called Israel to
repentance and whose
return it was popularly thought would usher in the Messianic Era.
John does what Elijah did and he looks as if he is presenting the
ways of Elijah. Actually,
John's message was present not only in his words but also in his
whole life. The man himself was the message. Through the simplicity
of life and asceticism John gave his witness and as
a result of his witness, people came to him, believed in him, and
obeyed him.
Moreover,
despite his seeming popularity, John the Baptist did not bank on it -
he remained humble. He
was so humble before the message of God that he became the message,
the voice, of God the Father. He
was aware of his role and the limits of his role. He knew who he was
in relation to Jesus. He
knew that his ministry was never about him, never about how good of a
preacher he was to have been able to draw “People
of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem”
to him in the waters of the Jordan River. It was only all about
Jesus, whom he describes as “One
mightier than I,”
and he in his great humility would not even dare “stoop
and loosen the thongs of his sandals.”
Even Jesus' mission is mightier, for his baptism “with
water”
merely symbolized repentance from sin, but Jesus’ Baptism “with
the Holy Spirit”
actually effects what it symbolizes. It really and truly washes sins
from the soul.
Finally,
when we look at John the Baptist’s noble vocation, let's not think
that he is merely an isolated figure stuck in history two thousand
years ago. We too are John the Baptist of today.
CONCLUSION:
Now,
“Prepare
the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,”
is
a common usage during the Advent season. It is an invitation to get
ready to welcome the Lord.
Through the liturgy of the 2nd
Sunday
of Advent, we are invited to tread the path of repentance and
conversion. So,
during this period of Advent when we prepare ourselves for the coming
of Our Lord, what should our response be? We
have to fill in the valleys that come from a shallow prayer life and
a minimalistic way of living our faith. We have to straighten out
whatever crooked paths we've been walking: If we've been involved in
some secret sins or in a sinful relationship, the Lord calls us
through the challenging words of John the Baptist to end it; if we've
been involved in some dishonest practices at work or at home, we're
called to straighten them out and do restitution; if we've been
harboring grudges or hatred, or failing to reconcile with others,
now's the time to clear away all the debris; and if we've been
pushing God off the side of the road, if we've been saying to Him
that we don't really have the time for Him, now's the time to get our
priorities straight. This Advent—which is a gift of the Lord to us,
and who knows it may be our last—will succeed or fail on the basis
of how well we convert and clear our lives of sin so that the Lord
may come to us.
And this is the Good News of today.
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