Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12
My dear brothers and sisters in The Lord, as we gather today celebrating the Second Sunday of Advent, the day we emphasize the importance of peace, we continue with this spiritual journey of preparing our hearts and our life for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ at Christmas.
The Gospel of today is challenging us to put ‘First things First’. Pope Leo XIII used to say, ‘in all things you should first seek God and the truth (Matthew 6:33), and all else will follow’. Pope Francis used to say, ‘always it is important to focus on what truly matters’. Stephen Covey in his Book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, says, by putting first things first, one will have clearly stated priorities and goals; one will be in a very good position to know the difference between that which is important and that which is urgent for not all those that are urgent are important. Advent is a time of preparing for that which is very important even though at times it may not be urgent, thereby putting first things first. The question then is, ‘How best can we put first things first and prepare for that which is very important?’
Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of a shoot that will come forth from the stump of Jesse, embodying wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might. The imagery of this peaceful ruler reflects God’s promise of a new order, one where violence is transformed into peace (Matthew 5:9). Advent is a time of putting first things first by working always for peace and love (Romans 12:18), thereby starving violence and hatred. This call to love and peace is attested to by the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, when he says, ‘In these days of our Lord, we must reap the fruits of peace.’ This peace is not just the absence of war, but a deep-seated harmony within our hearts and communities, which enables us to see the otherness of the other in the other.
The Second Reading calls us to take time to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, reflecting on how God has been faithful to His promises throughout history (2. Timothy 3:16-17). This unwavering desire for the Word of God reminds us of the words of Saint Jerome that, ‘ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of God’ (Acts 17:11). For us to be able to put first things first in this season of Advent we are to have time with the Scriptures, listening to God speaking to us, for time spent in prayer and in reading the Scriptures is time never lost. The Scriptures serve as reminders of God’s unwavering love and the hope we find in Jesus. It is only those who know the Scriptures who can confidently say ‘hope does not disappoint’ and in hope, we prepare our hearts to receive our Good Lord at Christmas.
As we have heard in the Gospel of today that people from different places went to John the Baptist to be baptized. Like in Jesus Christ (John12:32), there was something in John that pulled people to him. For us to put first things first, we are to examine our own pull and push factors. By pull factors we mean those things that draw people to us; and by push factors we mean those things that make people go away from us. May we, like St. John The Baptist have positive pull factors, thereby being channels of healing and love, acting as agents of transformation in our families, communities, and the world thereby fulfilling the wish of Pope Francis that, ‘the Church should be like a hospital in a battlefield, where everyone is accepted, loved and healed’.
The Gospel of today is challenging us to be positive – results – oriented, producing good fruits (Galatians 5:22-23), for every tree that does not produce fruit will be cut down. We have been journeying this whole year, guided by the Jubilee theme, ‘hearts on fire; feet on the move’; this season of Advent, for us to put first things first, we are to do a reality check of the good results that we have produced this year – what type of move have we been on this whole year, and what results am I preparing to deliver when the baby Jesus is born in my life. Upholding this aspect of being positive positive – results – oriented, we immortalize the words of Pope Francis in the Synodal Year, of guarding ourselves from just being museums with much past and less future.
During this season of Advent, let us not only prepare our hearts but also extend our hands to those in need, fulfilling our concrete commitment to the poor, as we await for Jesus Christ, a poor Messiah, who put first things first by His love and protection for the poor and the weak which is vividly demonstrated in the Scriptures, as said by The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, in Dilexi Te. Thus as we light the candles of our Advent wreath, may each flame remind us to put first things first as we share the light of Christ with others, particularly the marginalized and the downtrodden, being instruments of peace and icons of hope, responding to the call to repentance thereby bearing the fruits of transformation. As we journey in this Advent season, may our hearts be open to the coming of our Savior, who brings light and hope to every corner of our lives so that our spiritual journey to Christmas may not be a meaningless and mere count down to 25 December.
Amen.