Homily 2nd Sunday of Advent year B

 

My dear friends today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent, Year B and the readings focus on the theme of God’s imminent coming. In the 1st reading taken from the prophet Isaiah, we come across a very caring and sensitive image of God. The prophets had made it clear that the destruction of the city and the exile to Babylon were not due to Babylonian strength; they were a fallout of their turning away from God. Set at a time when the long arduous exile is coming to an end, Isaiah declares that now the time of Israel’s punishment is at an end. God commands that the people be comforted. We hear the words of Isaiah which are then repeated by John the Baptist, “A voice cries out: “In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” This highway, however, is not for the people but for Yahweh. These verses assure the people that the time of Yahweh’s long absence from Jerusalem has come to an end.  Yahweh has punished Jerusalem for its sins, but his purpose was not their suffering, but their redemption. He did this to restore them to their former status as his chosen people.

The language of the text is very poetic and vivid and is replete with metaphors hence one must not take this text literally. God does not need people to make a 6 lane highway through the desert for him. It is the wilderness of their lives and the desert of their hearts that require preparation. If they are to prepare for the Lord’s coming, their preparation must involve some sort of spiritual discipline. The hills and valleys are poetic metaphors for the spiritual obstacles of sin and lack of faith that come between God and his people. Similarly, the people must smooth out the uneven ground and the rough places in their lives in preparation for the Lord’s coming. Another metaphor compares people to grass and flowers. These metaphors remind us of our own impermanency—our own fragility. Like grass and flowers, humans wither and fade, but the word of God will stand forever. The word of God is what we can depend on day in and day out. We may fail God, but God will not fail us. The text emphasizes the nurturing care of God for his people. He’s like a shepherd who carries lambs in his arms, next to his heart with the mother sheep following close.  

The second reading taken from the second letter of Peter explains the delay of the Parousia. The first of two arguments that Peter raises to counter the false teachers' claim is that the Lord’s way of calculating time is different from that of human beings. Because God sees things from a different perspective, it is sometimes difficult for us to understand his timing. The second argument is that the delay is not to be understood as slowness on the part of the Lord but as his patience and therefore as his gift. It is a gift because now due to the delay more people will have chances of being saved. What is expected of people is a life of holiness and godliness. The Christians are asked to ‘wait’ for the new heavens and earth in accordance with the promise.  Peter sees a connection between the expectation of the advent of Christ and the purity of life.

In the gospel taken from Mark, the opening presents the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ as the fulfilment of two prophetic texts from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. The messenger, witness, and forerunner of this time of fulfilment is John the Baptist. His baptism of repentance and forgiveness is a preparation for the coming of the Messiah. That preparation consists in announcing the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, namely, Jesus. John’s role is that of a servant to the one he is called to serve. In Mark’s gospel, there is a strong portrayal of John as Elijah, who has returned just as Malachi said he would (Mark 9:9-13; cf. Malachi 4:5-6). John’s clothing is based on descriptions of Elijah in 2 Kings (1:8) and symbolically the coarse garments of John contrast with the soft garments of royalty. Additionally, it symbolizes his mission to preach repentance. Sackcloth is a similar garment referred to in the Old Testament and frequently was worn when in mourning or a public show of repentance for sin. Another point of interest is John’s saying ‘I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.’ These words are often interpreted as a sign of humility. However, they have a much deeper meaning. Based on the books of Deuteronomy and Ruth, in the olden times, the sandal was a sign of the right to marry a bride. John the Baptist is not even worthy to loosen the sandal, and so he does not credit himself as the bridegroom. There is only one bridegroom: Jesus. The sandal also represents dignity. John, who is preparing the people for Christ’s coming, is not the Messiah. The one who proclaims the Good News does not take his sandals with him, that is, he does not seek dignity for himself.

In this season of Advent, though we are not required to dress up like John the Baptist, we are required to announce and make known God’s Son to the world. Does the way we live our lives and interact with people bear witness to Jesus’ life and teachings? Advent is also a reminder that God is coming to find us. And certainly, this requires us to get ready to welcome Him. The advent of God calls for a response. Much like how we clean our houses before Christmas, advent requires us to clean our hearts. What are the hills and valleys - the spiritual obstacles of sin and lack of faith in our lives? What are the uneven ground and the rough places in our lives that we need to smoothen to welcome Jesus into our lives? A good way to prepare for the Lord’s coming would be to identify at least one area in our life where we are falling short and consciously work towards improving on it. We pray that our spiritual preparation makes this Christmas truly different from all the previous ones. May God bless us all.