Our spiritual journey of the Second Sunday of Advent takes us alongside the banks of the Jordan River. John the Baptist takes his cue to enter the world’s stage. Matthew makes it clear that this wild man, the final prophet preparing Israel for the Messiah, made quite an impact. “Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized” (Matthew 3:5-6). Somehow his message resonated powerfully among both the ordinary people and the leaders, such as the Sadducees and Pharisees.
So, John the Baptist preached a message that is ever timely – a message of personal conversion to repent (metanoia). Repentance demands a change of heart, direction in life and mindset. We see the people, as they were being baptized, confessing their sins. The people of Judah and Jerusalem are ritually cleansed by John in the water of the Jordan River. Yet they still await the mighty one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The people are turning from a mindset of sin to a mindset focused on the Lord who is coming.
“Conversion is the spark that allows a soul to catch fire with God. It strikes the flint and begins the early burning of a passion for God. It is the first leap of flame that can quickly become a fire lasting a lifetime.” -Father Donald Haggerty
On this Sunday of Advent, we are reminded that until the day of judgment, God will allow the messiness of the world to carry on its course with no intention of definitively intervening until the fullness of time. The glorious Christ will come in that future moment to separate the good and the bad, as in the parable about the sheep and the goats (see Matthew 25:31-33) and the weeds and the wheat (see Matthew 13:24-30). After all, we need a savior, period. We all know it. Sometimes we run from this, lie about this, ignore this. Yet in the end, in our honest days, the human heart cannot help but want to be saved eternally. Let’s prepare our hearts for the Lord starting today.
On Thursday, December 8, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - a Holy Day of Obligation. Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854: “We declare, pronounce, and define, that the doctrine which asserts that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin is a doctrine revealed by God and, for this reason, must be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful.”
This celebration allow us to reflect upon a woman’s “yes” to God. The familiar Latin word is Fiat. But prior to Mary’s fiat was the action of God’s grace in his divine act of the Immaculate Conception. Mary was truly part of God’s plan even before she was formed in the womb. Mary did not just do God a favor by saying yes. She also undid the anti-fiat of Eve. In the Genesis story, Eve has been created by God and has an intimate personal relationship with him, alongside Adam. Yet the serpent is able to deceive Eve and Adam along with talking her into taking the fruit of the tree. In this, Eve has said “no” to God’s plan and rule over her life. The world may at times seem a chaotic mess, but transcending it all is God’s grace and his divine plan. For us, it is not necessary to know this plan, but only to say “fiat” to this plan. In this, therefore, Mary is a model for every Christian.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 7:00 pm next week, December 12th – 14th, we will have Advent Penance Services and reflections. We have invited priests to assist with the sacrament of reconciliation. Please make sure to adjust your schedule to benefit from this great sacrament of mercy in preparation for Christmas.