2nd Sunday of Advent
(Sunday 4th December 2016)
Christ is coming. Let us go meet him – Matthew 3:1-12
Christ is a revolutionary. He came to start a revolution and to do something no one else did before or since because he is God – that is – Salvation. This is what we say when we recite in the Creed, “for us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven.” That sentence sums up Christ’s whole mission. That is also the mission of the Church. So what is he saving us from? The answer- sin and death. We all sin and we will all die.
God forbid that when the end comes (as it certainly will) our hearts will be in a sorry state. As we read in the first reading God will not look at appearances. He will look inside of us -into our hearts. What will he find? This is what John the Baptist is talking about when he says that we must prepare for Christ coming by making crocked things straight. So you and I must look inside and see what is crocked and needs to be made straight. With God’s help and grace we must get ready.
We need this time of grace called Advent, which means ‘coming’. Advent helps us reflect on how we can focus amid the chaos and hassle of life. It is so easy to get distracted. We all know that. We can learn to turn our distractions towards God but more often than not distractions overwhelm us and take over our minds and hearts. So we must fight. We must fight to find time for silence, time to pray, to think about where we are going in life and to think about others. Then we will find the Lord Jesus Christ who is coming.
Christ is coming at Christmas and at the end of time. And while we await his coming we must realize that the only time we have is the present, the now. So forget about yesterday and don’t worry about tomorrow. Just pray now. Think of God’s will now. Find time today to pray, to sit in silence to build up your relationship with Jesus to think about where you are. Listen to Christ in prayer. Gradually he will change you. He will heal you. He will tell you what you need to do. But you and I need to make that first step. Move towards him. Make time. Christ is coming. Let us go out to meet him.
Bishop Phonsie Cullinan (Bishop of Waterford & Lismore)