Homilies

2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT: LET US PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD

Pope St Paul VI once said: “Modern man does not listen to preachers. If he does listen to preachers it is because they are witnesses” (see EN 41).

The Second Sunday of Advent brings us to the person of John the Baptist, the preacher who was listened to by the people of his time because he had been a true witness. It is interesting to note that the Catholic Church has given John a special place in the Advent liturgy. If Advent is about preparation for Christ’s coming, then it is but proper to reflect on the life and person of John the Baptist because he had prepared the way of the Lord.

First of all, John is depicted in the gospel as a man of the desert. The gospel says: “the word of God came to John in the desert.” What is something special about a desert? A desert, like a mountain, is a place on which one can commune himself with God. It is a privileged place for spiritual leaders, like John. In its solitude, he had heard the voice of God. Some contemporary spiritual writers, like Carlo Carretto (a religious brother), also followed John’s path by spending moments of prayer in the desert of Sahara. The desert experience for them had been enriching. In the desert, they have encountered God in intense prayer.

Secondly, John is a man of truth. He preached the truth. The gospel says: “he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Conversion and repentance are necessary requirements for entering God’s kingdom. Since he heard the voice God in the desert, John was convinced of the truth in his preaching. And he is fearless in proclaiming this truth. If there is something that I admire from people during John’s time it would be their ability to listen and to obey. With a simple preaching of repentance by John, the people instantly responded.

Conversion and repentance are among the themes of the sacrament of reconciliation. While there are some Catholics who regularly receive the sacrament of confession/ reconciliation, there are also some who do not. There is a problem of spiritual callousness. Pope St John Paul II saw in the modern people the loss of the sense of sin, while Pope emeritus Benedict XVI described this as the loss of the consciousness of sin. Consequently, the call to repentance and conversion appears not attractive to the modern people.

The prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled in the person of John the Baptist. He is indeed, ‘A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low.”’

John’s preaching of the coming of the Lord is a key theme of the Advent season. As John’s preaching prepared the way for Jesus, we too are called to prepare ourselves for Jesus’ coming. Without this preparation, Christmas would just be reduced to simply partying with families and friends. But if we heed to the message of John, then, our celebration of Christmas becomes more meaningful. AMEN.

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