A Time to Return, A Time to Reform

 

Deacon David Previtali · A Time to Return, A Time to Reform

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Dec. 5, 2021. First Reading - Baruch 5:1-9; Gospel of St. Luke 3:1-6. Theme: A Time to Return and a Time to Reform 

Today’s first reading from the prophet Baruch gives us a message of hope and of better times ahead for God’s people. On one level, that of history, it’s about the return of the Jews from their forced exile away from their homeland. You see, about 600 years before the birth of Christ, the invading army of the Persians descended upon Israel, destroying everything in their sight and taking much of the population captive. This captivity in exile lasted for about 70 years and during this time many fell away from the full practice of the Jewish faith without the support and encouragement of their families and communities. 

But Baruch’s prophecy today about exiles returning home, can also be heard on another level besides history. It can be received on a spiritual level, reminding us that for many people who have exiled themselves from life with God and his Church, the holiday season can be a time of return home. It’s pretty common in parishes everywhere to see old familiar faces reappear, to see new faces show up, and to have more-than-the-usual numbers of people in the pews at Christmastime. Now, there are some who are critical of those whom they call “CEO Catholics” (Christmas and Easter Only), and yes, they are correct that people should come to Mass weekly and not just on our two biggest holy days. 

But for whatever reason, some people do come back home, back to church, during this holiday season. And it shows that at some level they are still connected with God, still connected with us. In some way they are hearing God’s word of return addressed to them just as the Jews in exile heard it from Baruch. Hopefully they will experience our friendliness and generosity to welcome them back home without judgment but only with rejoicing. Perhaps, if we give them a warm welcome then maybe, just maybe at this year’s Christmas Mass, they will realize that life with God can be so much fuller, so much more meaningful, than living apart from him. Just maybe, on some level, they will open themselves up to the redeeming grace of Christ while they are in his Eucharistic Presence at Mass and feel his hand knocking at the door of their hearts. 

Yes, Baruch reminds us that Advent is a blessed time of return from exile. So why not invite a family member or friend who has been in self-imposed exile from the Church to return with you this Christmas? And while we are at it, let’s not forget that we “regulars” are also in need of return in a different way. For us Advent can be a time of return to a deeper relationship with Jesus especially through the Sacrament of Confession rooted in a real self-inspection as to how we have - or have not - been preparing a place for him in our own hearts. This is the message that St. John the Baptist proclaims to us in today’s Gospel. He calls us to return to a more real and authentic way of living a Christian life. 

St. John’s words might make more sense to us if we recall that in ancient times, when a king was coming to pay a visit, a messenger was sent ahead to announce his coming, to help people prepare for his visit. If the people wanted to get the best outcome from the royal visit, they put all of their time and energy into listening to the herald and following his instructions. They literally did a lot of construction work to beautify the landscape and smooth out the roadways because they wanted the king to see how much he meant to them. They wanted him to see how hard they worked to make his visit pleasant. In return they hoped, of course, for many benefits and rewards. 

And how are we supposed to do this? By making crooked roads in our lives straight. By filling in the ditches that sin has caused within us. By smoothing out the pathway for God to enter more easily into our hearts. We have to work hard on actually preparing the way, just like the people did in ancient times for the arrival of their King. And this spiritual construction for renewing and repairing the infrastructure of our lives is the special task of the Sacrament of Confession. 

So, let’s do whatever is needed to level the road and make straight the pathway of Christ to our hearts. Let’s ask for the grace to straighten out whatever is crooked and fill-in whatever is lacking in our relationships with God and others. Let’s really listen to both prophets, Baruch and St. John the Baptist, calling us to return to God with all our hearts and to smooth out the rough edges in our lives so that Christ might find in us a perfect welcome when he comes again.