2nd. Sunday of Advent (C)
(Baruch 5:1-9;
Philippians 1:3-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6)
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Today Mother
Church recommends that we, her modern-day children, carefully reconsider John’s
inspired proclamation because of its great significance for us who, by our
Advent discipline and devotion, are now preparing to invite and welcome the same
Lord, God, and Saviour, into our very own hearts and minds anew this Christmas.
Some
700 years before John, the prophet Isaiah had spoken of the messianic times to come
in Judah by evoking:
The
voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His
paths straight. Every valley shall be
filled, every mountain and hill brought low. The crooked places shall be made straight,
and the rough ways smooth.
For
our evangelist St. Luke, John was that voice crying in the wilderness, and John
-- the greatest of all those born of woman, as Jesus said – taking up that
prophecy of Isaiah, insisted that all those awaiting the imminent coming of the
Messiah had to do something to further both the advent of the Messiah in their
days and the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy. And Mother Church, setting Luke’s Gospel
message before us today, suggests likewise that we -- each and every one of us
who believe in Jesus and anticipate His Advent
blessing this year – do something in accordance with John’s inspired
proclamation that we alone can
and should do: first, acknowledge with sincere sorrow our too-many personal
sins, and accompany it by fruits expressive of such repentance; but above all,
however, by awaiting the Coming One with hearts full of gratitude eager to receive and embrace Him as the Only-begotten Son
of God, sublimely gifted to us as One of us, the One Who can uniquely enable us, to live fuller and better
lives as adopted children of God, His own brothers and sisters.
It
is common among practicing Catholics these days to more or less forget about
this obligation to open up the way for the Lord in their own hearts and minds, and
consequently their lives as Catholics and Christians can so easily settle DOWN and
become somewhat stagnant: too many basically
faithful children of Mother Church limit themselves to holding firmly to the Faith
they were originally taught, taking care they do not betray or fall short of it. In fact, however, since Jesus the Prince of Peace
and Light of the World, is wanting to come anew into their refreshed lives this Christmas, they should desire above all to grow
in that Faith and embrace anew the Love that enwraps it: Jesus’ Own love for us
all, and the love of many martyrs, confessors, and fellow faithful Catholics
who have treasured and handed the Faith down to us over centuries.
Again,
many devout Catholics are regular in their observance of Sundays and holydays,
and they intend to receive the sacraments well.
However, though they do these things regularly, which is good, they also
tend to do them routinely, which is not so good. For, having done these practices, which they
often call duties -- duties which can
be counted and ticked off as having been done for this week or for this month
-- they then tend to wait for the Lord.
They do not often think to undertake more personal heart-and-mind approaches,
which are not things that can be called duties, but are endeavours to respond
to God’s secret invitation, to answer
God’s Personal call, to them personally.
In
such ways, far too many Catholic disciples of Jesus hear Mother Church calling
them in the name of God, from without themselves, but do not seem to hear God
Himself whispering within
themselves, from that secret and most holy sanctuary which is their own soul. Thus, they confine themselves to mediocrity:
because they are, in fact, coming to a halt, settling for obligations and duties
-- long known and recognized -- being faithfully observed each year, but going no
further, no deeper. Now such a ‘coming to a halt’, at whatever level, is mediocrity
for one called to let the Holy Spirit lead him or her throughout their life to become more like Jesus, ever more truly a
child of God.
Other
people might think highly and speak well of such a person, because he or she
may have stopped at, and apparently remained at, a relatively high level, so to
speak, when compared with others. But
that’s just it, God doesn’t compare one with another: if you stop, at whatever
level, you will begin to stagnate, and that is, for you -- in the eyes
of God the Father Who is calling you
and the Holy Spirit Who wants to lead you
further along the way of Jesus -- settling for mediocrity, settling for something
less than God wants of you, than what God wants FOR YOU.
Paul
was very proud of his converts in Philippi and he acknowledged that not only
were they indebted to himself, but that he too was indebted to them for the
assistance they had given him in his need.
He prayed for them as special friends:
And
this I pray: that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all
discernment.
Now,
that should be the programme for all of us: for our love can abound more
and more in knowledge and depth of insight.
Don’t think that is not for you, that you can’t do that. Of course you can’t!! But God can
and He does want to do it for you, to bring it about in you. You might not, indeed, be the reading, the
studious, type, you might not be a deep thinker, but that does not exclude you
from taking up God’s invitation: because it is a special invitation to you by
Him Who knows you best of all; it is an invitation to lead you to the fullness of
your vocation, to give Jesus all your love, in your uniquely personal way.
If you are not a reader, not a deep thinker, O.K., don’t feel any need
to force yourself into long periods of tedious and fruitless study or
reading. Do what you do best. Perhaps you like to be with people rather
than with books: try, then, to do your best to be with Jesus more. I don’t necessarily mean kneeling in Church,
you might have too many duties and tasks for that: then, just try to be more
with Him in your mind and heart: just as you are so often with your children or
your grandchildren in your mind and heart.
If your life seems burdened with other people’s troubles, then mention
those troubles to Jesus, ask His help, ask Him to bless yourself and those in
need. Some people find they can’t keep
their attention on prayers which tend to become just empty words: among them, however,
some might find great peace in just being in Jesus’ presence in the Church
without saying anything: content and happy simply to know that He is there and
they are in His presence. I can’t go
through all the ways of deepening love for Jesus here, that is spiritual
direction, much ignored today, but be quite sure of this, you are invited, called, urged by God the
Father, Who wants to help your love for Jesus, His Son, to abound more and more
in knowledge and depth of insight: not knowledge of facts or insight into
problems, but personal knowledge, awareness, appreciation, of the Person of Jesus,
that is, understanding of, and empathy with, commitment to, Him. Knowledge and insight of this sort will
enable you to grow just as St. Paul wanted his beloved Philippians to grow:
That
you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and
without offence till the day of Christ.
Some
people, even some good Catholics and Christians, try to set good works for
others at variance with, or as a substitute for, deep personal holiness,
oneness with Jesus. They tend to think that they ought to be doing something for Jesus, some good
work, some visible, tangible, work that helps to free at least one corner of
the world from its overwhelming burden of suffering and sin: work of that
nature, they feel, is much better than just ‘becoming holy’.
Of
course, when they put it in that way to themselves, they are loading the dice
for their own purposes, because, comparing supposedly generous works for others
with the implied selfishness of oneself trying to become holy before God is
totally wrong. True holiness is the most
unselfish state possible, it is entirely God
centred: true holiness is love of God that leads to total forgetfulness of
self, and such self-sacrifice in the likeness of Jesus, is only authentic and true
when it is a spontaneously free gift, brought about indeed by the Holy Spirit,
but allowed, accepted, embraced, and whole-heartedly followed, by the recipient.
Such holiness is most un-common and no
easy option. True holiness, it was, that
sustained the early martyrs suffering persecution under the Roman Empire; and
still today continues to manifest itself in the lives of those enduring and
dying for Jesus under modern fanatical or totalitarian regimes, or those saddened
and oppressed by their own compatriots’ rejection of Jesus’ demanding love for
easier and more pleasing worldly and/or fleshly options:
The
time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following
their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will
stop listening to the truth. (2
Timothy 4:3–4)
God
can always find many people to do things for
Him; for many there are, who will do good things for motives that are not so
good, such as self-approval or public appreciation; frequently, the very relief
of working at something that occupies their mind and distracts their heart is
enough for them. Indeed, there are those
to be found, as St. Paul himself experienced (Philippians 1:15–18), who will even
do good things for evil reasons:
Of
course, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, thinking that they will cause
me trouble in my imprisonment. What
difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in
truth, Christ is being proclaimed? In that I rejoice. Indeed, I shall continue
to rejoice.
Therefore,
let us turn back to our second reading where St. Paul spoke to the Philippians
of:
Their fellowship (with
him) in
the gospel from the first day until now.
In
that spirit of loving appreciation and gratitude he prayed most especially that:
(Their)
love (might) abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.
Dear
People of God, our fellowship with St.
Paul in proclaiming Christ
in today’s hostile world requires that work of us which he so
persuasively urged his friends at Philippi to undertake in all confidence. It is, precisely, our essential part in the
missionary work of Mother Church today; and ultimately, only such a partnership
of the whole faithful Christian people in the Church’s proclamation of the
Gospel will lead to the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy:
All flesh shall see the salvation of God.
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