2nd Sunday in Advent Mass Rdgs & Reflection

The Second Sunday of Advent ~ December 5, 2010 ~ Liturgical Year A, Cycle I


First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Second Reading: Romans 15:4-9
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

Reflection Questions

1. How would you describe St. John the Baptist? If you were casting someone to play John the Baptist in the next ‘Jesus’ movie, who would you pick? Why?

2. St. John the Baptist ‘told it like it was’, and did not hold back in telling people the truth about Jesus, nor in telling people the consequences of their actions. Do you ever struggle with speaking the truth to others? Describe.

3. What has your focus/activity of spiritual renewal been this Advent? How well have you done at getting closer to Christ so far this Advent? Describe. Have your actions in Advent shown the fruit of repentance?


Summary of the Gospel


The Gospel from the Second Sunday of Advent narrows in on the most important prophet in the coming of Jesus, His cousin, St. John the Baptist. St. John’s message is powerful and simple: Repent! 


Repentance has always been a difficult concept for people to hear and embrace because it involves the most important and challenging kind of change, a change from sin. St. John’s call to repentance is unique because he tells the people of his day that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, literally in their midst. The Kingdom of heaven is not just a lofty concept, but is a reference to the person of Jesus and all He represents. St. John is on the scene announcing to people to get ready for this awesome event that is about to happen, and people are responding in large numbers. His claim to spiritual fame is not just the fact that he announced that Jesus was coming, but also from the fact that he lived a life of poverty and singular focus on God. This puts him in a position to announce God’s will to all those he met, and he did such a good job at it that he drew standing-room-only crowds to hear him. St. John spoke openly and clearly to everyone, especially the religious leaders of his day, the Pharisees and Sadducees. He told them in no uncertain terms that not only were they to repent, but that their lives must show the fruit of repentance in their actions. 


The Pharisees and Sadducees had gotten comfortable and complacent, and thought that they would be righteous in God’s eyes simply by what they believed, not by what they did. St. John called them to not only a purity of heart, but also to a purity of action. He laid it out on the table for all to see, to remind them that their entire existence depends on their repentance. If they succeed in turning their lives to God, then they will become vessels of the Holy Spirit; if they fail, they will face eternal separation from God. 


In the same way, God is calling you and me to repentance today through the words of St. John the Baptist. You and I are faced with a major decision to make, the one that will impact our entire lives: God is inviting us to admit that each one of us has a sin problem. Do you admit you have a sin problem? If you answer ‘yes’ to this question, then your heart is ready for Christ. It is only when we admit that we need Christ’s help and that we are powerless over our eternal destiny that we will find ourselves making time for Jesus. If you don’t admit you have a ‘sin problem’, then Christianity will never make sense to you. 


Remember – the Church is not the society of the perfect, but the hospital for those who admit their illness of sin. Let us ask, this Advent, that we may make room for Jesus in our hearts, and turn away from anything that separates us from God.