Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Dec. 8, 2024. Baruch 5:1-9; Gospel of St. Luke 3:1-6. Theme: A Time for Return and Reform
Today’s first reading from the prophet Baruch gives us a message of hope in a prophecy announcing better times ahead for God’s people. On the level of ancient history it’s referring to the Hebrews’ return from their forced exile of 70 years in what is today Iraq. But it can also be heard on another level besides that of history. It can be interpreted on a spiritual level as saying that the approaching holiday season can be a time of a return home for those who have exiled themselves from life with Christ through his Church. And we all know that such spiritual exiles exist and are common in parishes everywhere. We see them especially in the more-than-the-usual numbers of people who are in the pews at Christmas Masses.
There are some who are critical of those whom they jokingly call “CEO Catholics” (Christmas and Easter Only). Now, I agree with them in that people should come to Mass weekly and not just on our two biggest holy days. But I utterly disagree with them in assuming that this is simply a sham expression of a “holiday religion”. For whatever reason, some people DO come back home to church during the Christmas season but it just might be because they want to and not because they feel like they have to. And I like to think that this means that on some level they are still connected with Christ and the Church even if by the thinnest of threads. And that tiny possibility is all that Jesus needs to pull them closer in. I like to hope that deep within their hearts they are hearing an echo of Baruch’s prophecy of return.
And I pray that they respond to that interior sensation and give it a chance to grow and blossom in their hearts. Maybe this year’s Nativity Mass will help them realize that life with Christ can be so much fuller, so much more meaningful, than living apart from Him. Perhaps on some level while they are in the Lord’s Eucharistic Presence at Mass, they will open themselves up to this home-coming grace. All of this is more than possible for God, so let's start praying now for these brothers and sisters of ours. Let’s ask that they respond to Christ knocking at the door of their hearts. And let’s do our part on the human level to help this happen in whatever ways we can by the manner in which we interact with them, the holiday greeting we bestow upon them and the prayers we offer for them while they are among us.
But today’s Liturgy theme isn’t just about the exiles returning. It’s also about us, the “regulars”, reforming. Today’s Gospel is calling us to really hear the prophecy of Isaiah which foretells the preaching of St. John the Baptist. We are urged to prepare a way for the Lord in our lives by embracing a more mindful and authentic manner of following Jesus that goes beyond simply attending Mass on Sundays. St. John the Baptist warns us to repent of our sins, which means to not be content with just expressing sorrow for our wrongdoings, but to intentionally strive for a real change of heart that shows itself in a tangible change of behavior. So, how are we supposed to do this?
The answer is found in their prophecy. Both Isaiah and St. John direct us to level out the hills and fill in the potholes in our lives. They were referring to the fact that in ancient times, when a king was coming to pay a visit, a royal messenger was sent ahead to announce his coming. If the people wanted to get the best outcome from this royal visit, they put all of their time and energy into preparing the path into their town. Isaiah’s words about leveling and filling in were not just empty speech. The people literally did a lot of hard construction work to beautify the landscape and smooth out the roadways. They wanted the king to see what they had done for him and how much his visit meant to them. They wanted to make his journey smooth and his arrival pleasant. In return they hoped for many generous royal benefits and rewards.
St. John the Baptist calls us to do the same kind of thing in our lives. We need to get to work in straightening out the “crooked roads” that we have constructed out of our pretenses. We have to fill in the “ditches” that sin has dug into our lives and patch them up with God’s grace. One of the very best tools for this spiritual construction project for repairing the infrastructure of our lives is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It causes us to pause and ponder as we take a good honest look inside ourselves. We ask the Holy Spirit to show us what we need to do and where we need to change in order to level the road and make straight the pathway for Christ to our hearts. So, let’s really return and reform this Advent by examining our consciences and confessing our sins to the Lord so that He might find in us a truly welcome place when He makes his royal arrival as our Newborn King this Christmas.
Here is a concrete plan for a real change of heart and life.
Based on the principles of St. Ignatius Loyola...
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