Breaking Open the Word
2nd Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2024
Introduction
When was the last time something that didn't make sense caught your attention? Did its image have contradictory messages? Humor and advertising have something in common. Both rely on contradiction to make a point. Place two contradictory images together and people will stop to look.
Before the public appearance of Jesus, a hermit preached in the desert. The preaching and the place created a sign of contradiction. And a way to catch the imagination of the people.
During the four weeks of Advent, we are invited to journey to a place of peace and quiet to encounter the coming of our God. Here we hope to discover God’s presence without obstruction and hear God’s voice without distraction. By focusing on the special scriptural gifts of this season, we will become renewed in the visions that sustained and fueled the early Christian community.
Gospel Explained
Can you hear the drum roll as Luke describes the historical details when Jesus begins His public ministry? Luke sets the scene for his readers and announces Jesus’ appearance in the middle of human history in August of AD 28. A transforming event, the ministry of Christ reaches across every time and impacts every aspect of human existence. For Jesus’ contemporaries, this experience was greatly influenced by the power of imperial Rome and the Jewish hierarchy. Luke provides the names of the secular leaders of Rome and the sacred leaders of the Jewish faith to validate this time in history.
Luke presented a contrary sign as proof of God's activity: a crier of news arrived in the desert. Most messengers shared their news in crowded city centers. People gathered in the marketplace to hear news from the traveling heralds. But John the Baptist roamed the desert. This was no place to announce news of importance. The desert hid many dangers and traps. Yet, the combination of the two images, a herald in the desert, recalled the Exodus experience and the prophetic tradition. If there was a place to hear news from God, it was in the desert.
St. Luke further emphasizes the nature of John's divine call by quoting the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3-5). The Gospel of Luke is the only synoptic Gospel to quote the entire passage, “a voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." By including the end of verse 6, Luke is affirming that Jesus’ words and works would extend the salvation of God to every person of the world.
Today's Theme
Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised a new Exodus similar to the first when God liberated the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery. John announces that God will remove all obstacles, and nothing will hinder His coming or the message of His gift of salvation to humanity. The paths and roadways that "shall be made straight" are not physical routes but our lives that must avoid the crooked ways of sin that have become mountains that separate us from God. We must come to the straight paths of righteousness that lead to salvation.
However, the mysterious prophetic voice in Isaiah 40:3-5 is not a person or agent of God found in the book of Isaiah. Instead, the unidentified prophetic voice announces a turning point in salvation history in the coming of God among His people and the wondrous, all-encompassing change the Lord's coming will have on the world. Who is this prophetic voice?
The theme of the Isaiah passage is similar to Simeon's prophecy in Luke 2:30-32, which happened at Jesus's Temple presentation after His birth. Isaiah says that "... all flesh shall see the salvation of God" and Simeon proclaims as he held the Christ-child in his arms: "... your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." Simeon announces the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in the child he held! John the Baptist is the mysterious voice crying out in the desert who prepares the way for the Davidic Redeemer Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Theme in our Life Today
John the Baptist was God's advertisement. Rooted in the nation's past, his appearance in the desert caught attention. His message prepared the people for the coming of One Greater. "Get ready!" The time is now!
John’s message calls us to prepare the way of the Lord in our hearts. The windings of sin and the rough ways of selfishness, the mountains and hills of arrogance and pride, the valleys of discouragement and despair are to be made right and true and docile through conversion, prayer and repentance. Then Jesus will come and make His home in the hearts of all who believe.
In the first reading, the prophet Baruch presents a picture of the returning faithful remnant of the exiles singing a song of joy as they make the homeward journey to Jerusalem. The exiles have chosen God and are making their way back to Him. We experience this same joy each time we choose God and His ways. St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians provides encouragement, “I am confident of this, that the One who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6) God is in control and will never give up on us. And our psalm reminds us, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” When we take time to thank God for all His good gifts, we are overwhelmed by the countless blessings we receive.
Advent reminds us, the time is now, we must “Get ready!” We should seek God’s forgiveness for our venial sins during Mass and receive the gift of God’s mercy for our mortal sins through the Sacrament of Penance. The love of God, the Word of God and the Son of God is for all people. God calls us to confess and repent the sins that separate us from Him, to "make straight our paths" on the journey of salvation, and to pray that "all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
Prepare for Sunday
As I prepare for the First Advent of the Messiah and for Christ’s return, when He will gather His faithful and righteous disciples into His eternal glory, I go to the desert. I seek silent places to hear the voice of God.
What mountains do I need to make low? What repetitive sinful behaviors have I become numb to? What can I add to my daily routine to put Christ first in my life? When will I receive the mercy and forgiveness of God to make straight the path in my heart for Christ? The time is now. I will seek reconciliation with God and those I have hurt. I will return to God with great JOY!