Second Sunday of Advent
(Sunday 10th December 2017)
Our Lord is truly coming today – (Mark 1:1 – 8)
Today’s Gospel is composed of the first 8 verses of the Gospel of St Mark, and presents us with the figure of the great St John the Baptist, cousin of and fore-runner of the Lord. The preaching of the Baptist in preparation for the Saviour’s arrival might suggest many things to us, but here we might look at three points:
Firstly, Our Lord is truly coming today, now, this Advent. The Liturgy of the Church, and the Season of Advent is part of the Church’s Liturgy, is not just an historical commemoration or remembrance of some event that happened back in the past. The mystery being celebrated, in this case the coming of the Messiah, is not just recalled but actually becomes present today. This is why Advent is a time of immense hope: Jesus Christ our Saviour is truly coming, and he is coming to save us, to heal us and offer us everlasting life.
This brings us to the second point: Just as St John the Baptist prepared the people of his time for the Redeemer’s arrival, so too, we must prepare well for the Lord’s arrival this Christmas. How do we “prepare a way for the Lord” as the Baptist recommends? Above all by prayer. We will be alert and attentive to our Lord if we spend some time in prayer each day, in heart-to-heart conversation with Christ who knows and loves us better than anyone on earth, including ourselves! We can ready ourselves to welcome Jesus also by being aware of his presence in the ordinary every-day events of our lives and by doing our daily work well, offering it up to God. In today’s Gospel we also hear about how the people “confessed their sins” at the Jordan, so as to receive the “baptism of repentance”. The Sacrament of Confession is always helpful and powerful, and in preparation for Christmas this is even clearer: We need to prepare the “stable” of our souls so it may be a home for the Christ-child.
A third reflection arises from looking at the person and vocation of St John the Baptist. He does not speak or act so as to draw attention to himself. He makes this very clear: “Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am”. Every Christian is called to proclaim Christ to others in deeds and in words, to point Him out just as St John the Baptist did. As the Holy Father, Pope Francis constantly reminds us, “all the baptized, whatever their position in the Church are agents of evangelization” (Evangelii Gaudium, 120). In Advent, we seek to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord, and at the same time, we try to point Christ out to others, by our example and our words. We can do this in a very natural way by the way we treat our family members, friends, fellow-students and work-colleagues, and also by speaking to them about Christ and the faith.
Advent is a very Marian time. Our Lady carries within her the Saviour of the world. She is a living tabernacle. By staying close to Mary we will learn how best to prepare for her Son’s arrival and how best to encourage others to do the same.