I could still remember my delight when I was chosen among
others to be part of the concelebration of the Mass with Pope Francis when he
came to Manila in January of 2015.
There was so much preparation in all parts of the country
because Pope Francis was coming. All over the nation a prayer was said in every
mass in all our Churches that Pope Francis’ visit may bless us and that it may
turn us into a people of compassion and mercy especially in our dealing with
the poor in our society. In Pampanga a musical entitled “I Love Pope Francis”
had been shown to help Catholics know more about the awaited Pope. In Palo,
Leyte, Ground Zero of the world’s strongest typhoon ever, the construction of
Pope Francis’ Center for the Poor was completed and Pope Francis himself was to
bless it for the use of orphans and the elderly.
A real sense of anticipation and preparation can animate
people. It can evoke creativity and commitment. It can challenge the people to
embrace the values that represent that which they are waiting for. It can
indeed transform a people. The season of Advent is a season of anticipation and
preparation. Someone mightier than John the Baptist, and than anyone else, is
coming. We await the coming of our Lord, the Messiah. And our readings today
instruct us on how we ought to prepare. Let us examine then the message of John
the Baptist, a very important Advent figure, and second, the exhortation of
Peter in the second reading.
John’s
call for Repentance and Acceptance of the Messiah. As a voice crying out in the desert, John
echoes Isaiah’s call for the preparation of the way of the Lord: “Prepare the
way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” In the gospel reading (Mk 1:1-8),
John offers two ways of a meaningful preparation—repentance and acceptance of
the Mighty One.
John the Baptist knows what is needed in
preparing the way of the Lord. He calls for repentance. He invites people to change their hearts by
submitting themselves to baptism, wherein the symbol of the water effects an
interior cleansing. An integral part of
John’s baptism is the acknowledgement of sins. Hence, we read that “the whole
Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their
sins” (v. 5). When one confesses his/her
sins, the person names his/her sins thus gaining control over its power while
at the same time accepting the responsibility.
Personal conversion involves our
decision to be open to God’s power to cleanse us of our sins through his mercy
so that we gain the strength to turn away
from the ways of this world.
John’s message though is not just about turning away from sins and from the ways
of this world. More important perhaps is where he points us to. John the
Baptist, despite his growing fame and the admiration of his followers, never
sees himself as greater than Jesus, the One who is to come. He assumes a posture of a humble servant or
even lower than a servant as he claims unworthiness even to untie the Lord’s
sandals. He steadfastly fulfils his mission, which is to prepare for the coming
of Christ and to point people to Him. So as he baptizes them and exhorts them
to turn away from sin, he points them to Jesus that they may turn towards him
and accept Jesus as their saviour.
In this Advent season, we ask the grace
to be brave enough to turn away from our sinfulness and turn towards Jesus our
Saviour. Repentance and loving acceptance of our Lord ought to be our advent
aspirations.
Peter’s
exhortation towards Holiness and Devotion. In the second reading (2 Pt 3:8-14), Peter
writes about the coming of the Day of the Lord like a thief. As the disciples
await the Day of the Lord, Peter exhorts them in these words: “Since everything
is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought (you) to be,
conducting yourselves in holiness
and devotion, waiting for and
hastening the coming of the day of God...”
Our lives ought to be marked
by holiness. For Peter, the Greek word "anastrophe" refers directly to the way we act, our
behavior. Hence holiness is about how we
follow the example of the goodness of Christ relating and treating other people
with respect and love. It is about how we accept every opportunity to
serve and to do what is good to those who are in need around us.
The second quality St. Peter exhorts us
to have is devotion. The Greek word is "eusebia” which refers not so much to our actions as to
the attitude underlying our actions. It’s the disposition of our hearts
like the joyful reverence towards our Lord and our God. As such, devotion
is not about saying a lot of prayers. It is more a matter of a consistent
personal and intimate relationship with the Lord. To be devoted to the Lord is
to joyfully and lovingly offer ourselves in relationship with Jesus whom we
await.
Hence, in this season of Advent we aspire
to grow in holiness in our dealings with others and to deepen our devotion to
the Lord.
Again, real anticipation animates us. Let us be animated
by the anticipation of the Lord’s coming in Christmas. In this season of Advent, let us heed John’s
call to turn away from our sins and turn towards the Mighty One, Jesus. Or in
the words of Peter, let our lives be characterized by “holiness” in all that we
do and marked by “devotion” to our Lord.
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