2nd Sunday of Advent
This Sunday we light the second purple candle on the Advent Wreath and we hear the gospel story of John the Baptist the voice in the wilderness. John was called to be the herald of the Lord calling the people of his time to repentance John the Baptist plays a prominent role in all the gospels, but particularly in Luke. John hears the word in the desert then he tells the people throughout the whole Jordan region to prepare the way for the Lord make straight his paths. The Jordan was important place in the faith life of the Jewish believers. After their desert wanderings the people crossed over the Jordan river into the promised land. They left behind slavery, came to know God in the desert and were finally prepared by God to cross into new life. All the readings share a marvellous insight: people begin to change when they are encouraged to see the best in themselves, not when they are asked to dwell with the worst in themselves.Blessed John Henry Newman reminds us that “Advent is a time of waiting; it is a time of joy because the coming of Christ is not only a gift of grace and salvation but it is also a time of commitment because it motivates us to live the present as a time of responsibility and vigilance. We all need help and encouragement to leave behind all the things that have become destructive in our lives. We need help in thinking about ourselves differently, and imagining the good effect that will have on others. We have to take time during advent to reflect what kind of person God wants us to be, what God’s plan is for us as we prepare the way for the Lord. We need to have faith in the future, to see the power of God working in the change that Jesus brings to us and through us to others. In this Gospel passages John calls all of us to a better faith filled life. This means the necessity, of an industrious, living ‘wait’ as we prepare the way for the Lord pruning away all that hinders us from making him welcome when he comes at Christmas .
As we continue our advent journey we need to stop and ask ourselves what are we waiting for. Are we waiting for the razzmatazz and presents that the secular part of Christmas bring or are we preparing for the greatest gift from God to us that is his Son, Jesus the light in the darkness who John the Baptist foretold when he said prepare the way for the lord make straight his paths.
Fullerton T 