Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11

Psalm 85:9-14

2 Peter 3:8-14

Mark 1:1-8

 

“Kindness and truth shall meet.  Justice and peace shall kiss.” Psalm 85:10

 

Before you know it New Year’s will be here, and we all know what that means.  Time for New Year’s resolutions!!!  And a wry grin crosses our faces because we know that the average life span of a New Year’s resolution rivals that of a common housefly – about 28 days!

 

But as Christians we have something even more meaningful – and more sustainable – than New Year’s resolutions.  We have ADVENT.  Advent is a time for us to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord at Christmas, and to prepare to receive and absorb his words and teachings, which, in turn, prepare us for his suffering and death which absolves us of our earthly sins, and to further prepare for his resurrection which gives us eternal life, and to spend the 50 days after Easter preparing to live out the life that He calls us to.  28 day lifespan?  Hardly.

 

You see, that’s the tremendous difference.  The New Year’s resolutions are ephemeral, largely because we rely on ourselves.  In the weakness of our humanity the resolutions easily fall by the wayside.  However, the “preparation” that we are called to as Christians at Advent is sustainable because we rely on God, and the preparation is not for one day, but lasts through all of the liturgical year.

 

First and foremost in Advent we are called to repent.  But it doesn’t end with John the Baptist’s call at this time of the year.  Before you know it, it will be Ash Wednesday, and again we will be called to repent.  With ashes upon our foreheads and God’s mercy in our hearts we will, again, enter a season of prayer, introspection, and charity.   Again and again – during the Triduum, during the Easter season,  and beyond, we place ourselves in God’s hands so that we will be transformed by God’s power, not our own.

 

But each journey, they say, begins with one step.  And Advent gives us the opportunity to take those first steps.  And although we must always be watchful (for we do not know the day nor the time when the Lord will come) we are reminded today that “The Lord … is patient with you.” (2 Peter 3:9)  I might not get it right the first time around, but I’ve got EVERY day to start anew.  That is a promise from God.  And THAT is what makes the “resolutions” of Advent sustainable.

 

Perhaps the best preparation for me as I begin this journey – as I begin EACH DAY – is to remember and pray these words: 

Kindness and truth. 

Justice and peace.

 

“Call Me Ishmael”