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2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT: YR. A
Getting Prepared!
“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand,” is John the Baptist’s opening message. His message is as relevant to us today as it was before the coming of the Messiah, two thousand and twenty-five years ago. There is much to be changed, and there is an urgency in the situation because the one who “is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit is at hand,” John declares. How do we prepare for this baptism of the Holy Spirit? It calls for an ongoing process of conversion; reform of our lives in the areas that need changed; living and acting in conformity with the kingdom’s values. It requires a change of lifestyle.
Preparing ourselves also means removing those obstacles that prevent us from giving love, namely, the holes of our selfishness and the mountains of our pride, by our acts of generosity and life of the virtue of humility. There is a need to repent and return to the way of the Lord daily, so that the kingdom of heaven can take root and grow in us. When the spirit of the Lord is poured into our hearts, we then acquire “a spirit of wisdom and understanding; a spirit of counsel and strength; a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord,” [Is 11: 2-3].
Jesus Christ came to establish God’s kingdom on earth: “a kingdom of truth and life…a kingdom of justice and peace.” In Christ is the yearning of people fulfilled, St. Paul teaches us in today’s epistle. We must accept Christ as our leader and heed His great commandment to accept one another. If we accept Christ and the outline He gives of the kingdom values, then the human society would be much better. A society where “the wolf is a guest of the lamb.” [1st reading]. Let us be guided by the principles of the kingdom's values.
We must allow Jesus to reign in our lives. If we do, we won’t cause people physical, psychological or emotional pain. We won’t cause injuries to people; neither will we ferment problems nor engage in bullying or actions that debase people. We won’t pick up fights and unnecessarily quarrel with people or harbor hatred. In this way, the prophecy of Isaiah will be fully realized in us when “Righteousness shall be the belt of our waist and faithfulness the belt of our loins.” We become Christians committed to righteous ways.