Just 21 days left until Christmas! PREPARE! We see that the second candle of the Advent wreath is lit today. The countdown to Christmas continues. And all the ads on television, online and in the stores remind us constantly that the time is drawing short. Unfortunately, all they’re reminding us about is how many shopping days are left until Christmas.
Today’s readings give us a different point of view which we, as followers of Christ, need to consider. In today’s Gospel, we hear John the Baptist point to the emerging reign of God that Jesus would soon introduce. We prepare to celebrate Christmas with great joy because Jesus came to introduce the kingdom of God in our midst. John’s mission is summarized in this morning’s entrance hymn: “Awake and hearken for he brings glad tidings of the King of kings.”
We then hear repeated the words of the prophet Isaiah pointing to John the Baptist: “A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord. Make straight his paths.’” We hear that people were coming from all around to be baptized by John, admitting and confessing their sins which kept them from being ready for this new kingdom. John the Baptist gave them hope that the long-awaited Messiah was about to come to them and, if they repented, he would welcome them into his kingdom.
Of course, there were some who came to John – especially from among the Pharisees and Sadducees – who were not truly repentant. They believed that all they needed to be considered among the elect was that they were descendants of Abraham; that’s all they thought was necessary to be ready for the Messiah. John had strong words for them: “You brood of vipers. Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”
As with all of the Bible, this gospel account speaks to us today, as well. So, are we paying attention to the message that John the Baptist delivers? He admits that “One more powerful than I is coming … He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Remember, John’s baptism was a call for repentance. The baptism that we have received, however, is with the Holy Spirit and fire. Both at our baptism and our confirmation, we receive the Holy Spirit of God who leads us to follow the way that Jesus has shown us – the way of his kingdom. In just a few minutes, we will be privileged to share in the joy of one of us receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation when he will receive the fullness of God’s Spirit. How blessed we are!
John also says that “the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” This good fruit that he is talking about is mentioned in our first reading as well. In the first reading, we hear that the Messiah will “judge the poor with justice and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.” And, his kingdom will be “filled with knowledge of the Lord as water covers the earth.” In the gospel, we hear that, when the Messiah comes, he “will clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Advent is the time every year when we realize that God did not come among us just for a friendly visit. He came to correct the injustice in the world – brought about by the evil ways of humankind – and to invite us into his kingdom, a kingdom where those of us who bear good fruit will be invited to live, like wheat brought into the barn.
And what does it mean to repent? It means simply to turn around, to turn from a self-centered life to a life of selfless love. And, what is that good fruit? It is to care for the poor and the land’s afflicted, as Jesus did when he was among us. We all know that. That’s why we respond so generously to the Adopt-a-Family, the Christmas Food Basket and Mercy Hospice Giving Tree programs, as well as all the appeals for help in our homes, in this parish and in the mail both at Christmas time and throughout the year. That’s why we challenge ourselves to be more thoughtful of our neighbor, near and far, and to spend more time in prayer so that we – filled with knowledge of the Lord – can be attentive to God’s call. That kind of Advent is very demanding but also more fulfilling.
What things are truly important for us this Advent? In the first reading Isaiah says that “a shoot will come from the line of Jesse. He shall judge the poor with righteousness and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.” Jesus has fulfilled this promise and he has called us to continue his mission. It is we who must look to the lives of the poor and meek, and make sure that they are treated with fairness: “righteousness” and “equity.”
Isaiah goes further. He says that with the righteousness and faithfulness that the Messiah brings we will enter a new era of relationships. “Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together … There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain.”
This is the world we all want to live in and that we want for all peoples. This is the kind of world that can allow all to take a new step forward this Christmas. Our Advent must prepare us. We must determine to welcome not only the Christ Child in Bethlehem this Christmas, but to accept his baptism and fire-Spirit that will continue to change the world through us. That’s the true spirit of Advent. Let’s live it ever more fully as we await the coming of our Lord and his kingdom.