Second Sunday of Advent (C)

 Second Sunday of Advent (C) [Lk 3:1-6]

05.12.2021

The Proclamation of John the Baptist

Readings: (1) Bar 5:1-9 (2) Phil 1:4-6.8-11

1.  Theme in brief

Repairing our life to prepare them for the Lord

2.  Focus Statement

In order to prepare the way of the Lord who comes with the gift of salvation for all, we need to undergo a new baptism of repentance by straightening our crooked paths, filling the valleys of duties neglected and levelling the mountain of pride.

3.  Explanation of the text

In the starting verses of today’s gospel, Luke mentions the names of  seven different men – a Roman emperor (Tiberius), a governor (Pontius Pilate), three tetrarchs (Herod, Philip and Lysanias), and two Jewish high priests (Annas and Caiaphas) – as he begins to narrate about the ministry of John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah (3:1-2). God’s Word was not sent to any of these  powerful  and  prestigious men, nor was it proclaimed in the centre of Jewish religion, namely, Jerusalem. Instead, the Word of God came to John the Baptist, a humble Jewish prophet who proclaimed it not in Jerusalem but in the “wilderness” (3:4). By mentioning the names of these political and religious leaders he points out the world’s situation, the Palestinian political situation and the religious situation during the time Jesus was born. Probably Luke wanted to tell his readers that those were the forces that opposed him and were responsible for his crucifixion. The entire Jewish nation had become politically and religiously corrupt and stood in need of a deliverer, not just from political bondage or a foreign rule, but also from spiritual and religious corruption.

It is in this context John the Baptizer, the central figure of today’s gospel, begins his ministry. Luke had already pointed out earlier that John had come with the spirit and power of Prophet Elijah to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Lk 1:17). Now he says how he readied and prepared his people: By proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the region around the River Jordan (3:3). Repentance means an attitude that brings a change of direction. It involves a contrite heart that submits to God and begs for forgiveness of sins. It is a complete turning away from sin, and turning back to God. If one is walking down the road of life in the direction of sin and rebellion against God, one makes a 180 degree turn after realizing one’s foolishness and starts walking the opposite direction toward God and obedience to his ways. John’s message to the people was that they were in need to repair their lives and prepare them for Christ’s coming. Thus he called them to receive the baptism of repentance. ‘Forgiveness’ or ‘remission’ actually meant release of captives, or setting prisoners free. Centuries before, Israel got released from the slavery of Egypt and established an earthly kingdom; now God was calling them to cross over the bondage of sin and enter into his spiritual Kingdom.

John the Baptist likened himself to a voice “crying in the wilderness” (3:4), echoing Prophet Isaiah’s message of hope to Israel (Is 40:3-5). He was like the herald who went before the king’s arrival in Jesus’ days to make sure the roads were ready for the king. When a king toured his territory, normally a herald was sent to prepare the reads. John is presented as the herald of the King Jesus Christ. Probably, Luke wanted to tell his readers that the nation of Israel was living in a “wilderness” of unbelief, and the roads to attain a spiritual liberation were so “crooked” and “rough” (3:5). John had come as a herald to ensure a fitting preparation for the advent of the King. Probably Luke, while referring to this quotation from Isaiah, might have in his mind the crooked and corrupt ways practiced by the political and religious leaders of Jesus’ time.

Unlike Matthew and Mark, Luke does not pay attention to the dress and food of John the Baptist; but like them he presents him as the last prophet of the OT who fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah (3:4-6). He plays two important prophetic roles: (1) Calling people for repentance and (2) foretelling them about the coming of the Messiah-King and preparing his way. By quoting Prophet Isaiah, Luke probably wanted to tell his audience that the advent of the Lord whose way he was preparing would not only straighten paths, but also fill valleys, level the mountains, straighten the crooked paths, and smoothen that which is rough (3:5). Ultimately, "all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (3:6). That is, the salvation of God that the Messiah-King brought would be available for all flesh, that is, all people who put their faith in him – not just for the chosen people, Israel.

4.  Application to life   

On the second Sunday of Advent, the Church invites us to prepare for Christmas and ultimately for the final coming (Parousia) of the Lord, by personally responding to the proclamation and prophetic voice of John the Baptist. He gives us the wake up call. He doesn’t look like a ‘jolly good fellow’ whom we would like to invite for a Christmas party.  He sounds like a killjoy. His message is hard and disturbing – repentance, straightening crooked ways and smoothing rough ones. His message is countercultural, that is, against the general current that runs in our culture when Christmas draws near. People are busy in organizing parties, inviting guests and welcoming Santa Claus more than welcoming Christ. When people give more importance to these things if we give more importance to welcome the Divine Guest (Christ) in our hearts, we become countercultural, that is, we go against the general current of our society’s ‘Christmas culture’. By baptism we are consecrated to be prophets to the world like John. When we exercise our prophetic role like him and give Santa Claus and other worldly preparations a secondary place, we clash with our culture. Just like the heralds in Jesus’ time who were sent to prepare the way of the kings urging people to clean up the streets and clear the garbage, John tells us to clean up our lives and clear the garbage of sins. He urges us to mend not our roads, but our lives.

Therefore John the Baptizer calls us to repair our lives in order to prepare ourselves to welcome the King who is coming and who will come again. This kind of repair involves repentance and liberation from the bondage or captivity of sin. It also means taking a firm decision to change the direction of our life – a direction contrary to the one we have taken now. We need to reflect and see which attitudes, conduct or life-style we should change. As we are preparing to welcome Jesus so that he can take birth in a new way at Christmas in our hearts, we need to examine whether our main focus is only on new clothes, fabulous parties, glittering decoration, merry-making, or on changing at least one of our mental attitudes that will lead to change of our behaviour?

John’s baptism was only with water, whereas Jesus’ was with water with the Holy Spirit and fire (Lk 3:16). Nonetheless it was a ritual purification to indicate that a person had decided to change his/her life, giving up a sinful or evil behaviour and selfish way of life and do good with a renewed zeal. Of course, it is not possible to do this without turning to God in faith and prayer. Therefore, a call to conversion or repentance is simultaneously a call to return to the Lord by making Christ as the Centre of our life and accepting him as the Son of God who comes to take birth in our hearts in new ways. As long as sin reigns over our lives, or long as we do not turn away from sins and turn towards God’s love, we cannot accept him. We need to take a second ‘baptism’ – an immersion of evil into water in order to destroy it or to get purified from it.

In our parishes, many ordinary Catholics think that the most important mission of the parish is to organize a function/ program, collecting contributions for various needs, constructing a building like church/ community hall, giving certificates and sacraments. Though al these have their rightful place, very rarely people think that the mission of the parish is to prepare their hearts to receive the Lord. Since it is very easy to measure the success of our work in visible structures, monuments and achievements, many are tempted to go for these things. The actual mission of building up people’s life or building up communities where they can experience the Lord’s reign of love, peace, justice and fellowship in their hearts and communities is less visible and measurable. But it is this mission which prepares them to receive the Lord in their hearts.

According to John’s message, it is repentance that prepares the way of the Lord in our hearts and leads us to take three concrete steps: (1) to straighten the crookedness in us; (2) to fill up the valleys of the duties we have failed to do; and (3) to level the mountain of pride. The paths in our lives are full of roadblocks - valleys, mountains and crooked curves that block the path of our relationship with God and neighbours. Valleys represent our broken relationships, duties neglected and responsibilities left undone. Mountains represent our sins of pride, arrogance, resentments, hatred and unforgiving attitudes. Rough ways point to our corrupt ways and double dealings and double standards.

John calls us to straighten our crooked paths by removing the obstacles that stand in the way of the Lord’s coming into our hearts. Those obstacles could be our pride, jealousies, misuse or abuse of power, wealth (especially money), alcohol, sexual faculties, etc. Sometimes we call a particular person crooked; sometimes others call us crooked; and sometimes we tell others that so and so is a crooked person. We ourselves may be knowing why we say so. Quite often our crookedness could be the by-product of our wickedness. In modern times we are under tremendous pressure to imitate the dishonesty and double standards prevailing in the world. So many people do not keep the promises they make; people say one thing and do another thing; and ordinary people get duped by all kinds of sweet talk.

There may be valleys of negligence of duties or their repeated postponement in family, society and workplaces that need to be filled up. Levelling the mountain of pride may include the ways of thinking and behaving which give the impression that we have the right solution for all problems and know everything; or refusing to admit our mistakes and even justifying them; or refusing to forgive a hurt by saying, “I shall show him/her!” There may be symptoms of self-reliance and pride in us such as arrogance, self-importance, aggressiveness, self-righteousness, domination, showiness or pomp and self-assertion at the expense of others. We need to wage a constant war, especially in this Advent season, against these ‘demons.’ Since these are the main obstacles for the coming of Christ in our hearts, John the Baptist challenges us to mend our ways and turn back to God. 

John declares that with the promised King’s advent, the gates of salvation will be opened to all – both to the Jews and gentiles – and the barriers separating them will be eliminated. Though there is no such division between the Jews and Gentiles in the Church now, this message of universal salvation is equally valid in our highly polarized world today.  People are still strongly divided in the line of race, tribes, castes, religion, political agendas and policies. How can the King of universal salvation come into our hearts, when we are not open enough to accept our differences? We should not forget that he comes to break these barriers so that we can be merciful to those who are unlike us in many ways. 

5.  Response to God's Word

Are there symptoms of any crookedness in our behaviour, action, dealings or attitudes that are contrary to God’s path? Can we imagine a crooked path to be straightened, a valley to be filled and a mountain to be levelled in this Advent so that Christ may find place in our hearts? How much do we compromise with the crookedness of this world? In our own life is there any thing that we need to straighten out? What attitude, behaviour or life-style should we change before we can receive and accept the Son of God who comes to take birth in a new way at Christmas? As Christmas is approaching, what is our main focus: is it on new clothes, decoration, parties, eating and drinking, or change of our mental attitudes? What efforts are we going to make, by which spiritual means, to turn away? What are the crooked or dishonest ways we are walking that need to be straightened?

6.    A prayer

Merciful God, as we prepare ourselves to welcome your Son at Christmas as the greatest King of our hearts, grant that we may heed to John the Baptist’s call for a firm decision to change the direction of our life so that you, and not sin, may rule over us. Give us the strength and courage to straighten our crooked and dishonest ways, to fill up the valleys of duties neglected and level the mountain of pride. We ask this through Christ who came, who comes and who will come again in glory. Amen.