Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10;
Romans 15:4-9; Mt. 3:1-12
A Prophet Like No
Other – John the Baptist.
On this second Sunday of Advent the Church
presents us with a man by the name of John, meaning ‘Gift of God’. He was a
prophet like no other. He came to prepare the way for the Messiah. John lived
in the desert and wore camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His
food was locust and wild honey. His appearance was frightening, and his message:
direct and urgent, demanding immediate action. John knew there was no time to
waste on frivolities. For him, everything else in life can wait, but the search
for God cannot wait. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from
carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch
you by surprise like a trap…Be vigilant at all times and pray…” (Lk. 21:34).
John warned us that God was coming in search of us, therefore, we should pay
attention, stop running after material things and turn our life to Him. Why
should we delay in forgiving others? To postpone acts of kindness or not be compassionate
and merciful are leisure Christians cannot afford. Procrastination is a theft
of time, so, one must act now. Putting off repentance can spell disaster, and
not doing what is right is a delay of justice that Christians should not
tolerate. Why put off till tomorrow what should be done today! The time for
repentance is now. “If today you would listen to his voice, harden not your
hearts.” (Ps.95:8). Paul warned: “It is the hour now for you to wake from
sleep.” (Rom.13:11-14). “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which
day your Lord will come.” (Matt.24:42).
John
was the voice of one crying in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make
straight his paths. People went to him to be baptized in the Jordan River as
they acknowledged their sins. He called them ‘brood of vipers’ and urged them
to repent of their sins and flee from the coming wrath. He demanded that they
produced good fruit as evidence of their repentance. They should not delude
themselves that they were Abraham’s children, “God can raise up children from
Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown
into the fire.” (Matt.3:9-10).
John the Baptist was not a pleasant
prophet to be with. He is not on any of the Christmas cards you will receive,
or could you recall the one you got last year, with John calling you to repentance
and wishing you a merry Christmas! He would properly remind you of the beggars
on the street. Yet, without John the Baptist and his message we would not have Christ
in our hearts; and Christmas would properly make no sense. To enjoy a fruitful
Christmas, we must be confronted by this crazy prophet out of the desert, with
his difficult message that must be heard, whether we like it or not.
It is only by taking the message of John
the Baptist seriously that the first reading makes sense to us. Isaiah
prophesied of a king who will be the living embodiment of the qualities which
are to be expected of one worthy to govern. This king will spring like “a shoot
from the stump of Jesse.” Jesse was the father of King David, and, by this time,
the Kingship in Jerusalem was barely surviving as the word ‘stump’ indicates. These
are the virtues that God requires in a leader. Wisdom and Understanding, are
the essential intellectual qualities of a judge or ruler. Counsel and Might
represent the practical application of wisdom, the gift of decisiveness in
judgement and moral energy to carry it out. Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord,
are the religious characteristic of leadership. He who must rule others must
himself be ruled by knowledge of God and be constraint to live according to
God’s moral demands. “If the electorate of the nations would demand of those
who seek office, intellectual power, moral force with practical sagacity, and
religious faith we should be better governed.” (The Interpreter’s Bible). When such individuals mount the throne
of leadership and governance, the picture of a perfect and just, and equitable
government will be experienced. For the leader will not judge by appearances,
nor decide by hearsay, but act with justice to the helpless, and decide fairly
for the humble. He will strike down the ruthless with his verdicts and slay the
unjust with his sentences. Justice shall gird him for action, he shall be
belted with trustworthiness. Herein, then, lies the fruit of repentance
demanded by John the Baptist. “The ideals of democracy can be vindicated only
through character. Men do not sufficiently consider that where democracy has
failed, it has not been because of constitutional weaknesses or faults in
administrative procedure, but because of moral defects in the governors and the
governed.” (The Interpreter’s Bible).
The outcome of right judgment and
leadership according to the mind of God, such that the Messiah will usher in by
his birth, will be reconciliation even in the world of nature, and the ancient
enmity between man and beasts shall be done away with. There will be peace and
“There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be
filled with knowledge of the Lord.” (Is.11:9). Therefore, “Justice shall
flourish in his time and fullness of peace forever.” (Ps.72:7).
Isaiah and John the Baptist were prophets
who spoke God’s message to His people and called them to repentance and faith.
Their messages were difficult, but some listened and put them into practice, so
must we. John the Baptist warned that repentance was not enough, we must bear its
fruit. It is not enough to tell people that we are Christians, we must
demonstrate it by our deeds. It is by doing simple tasks of love that we bear good
fruit. Let me conclude with this exhortation from the letter of St. James:
“Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that
has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word
and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the
word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror. He
sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like.” (James
1:21-25). May we be Christians in word and in deed and may God find in our
hearts a well-prepared dwelling place for His Son at his birth. Amen!
Points to ponder:
·
Are
you reading St. Luke’s Gospel? You should have read 7 chapters already and
getting ready for the 8th. If not, why not?
·
How
are you preparing for the birth of Christ?
·
What
would you do for Christ this week?
·
The
Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated on Thursday, Dec.13, at 6:00 pm.
This is one way to prepare for the birth of Christ, will you be there?
“Don’t
forget to pray today because God didn’t forget to wake you up this morning”
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