Homily(2) 2nd Sunday of Advent Year B: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo
Readings: Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11; Ps 85: 9-14; 2 Pet 3:8-14 and
Mark 1:1-8
Advent which began last week is a time of preparation for Christmas.
It is also a time we renew our faith and hope in the second coming of Christ. Unlike lent, it is not a time for reflection on
Jesus passion and death, but a time we
re-live the message of hope, optimism, expectation and call for preparedness proclaimed by Israel's prophets, from Isaiah to John the Baptist.
Surely, preparedness for Christmas stands out during Advent. How do we prepare in the midst of all the problems of life- political, social, economic etc? Scripture readings of today
suggest ways for Christmas' preparation. The four readings urge us to
use our religious imagination and look forward to the future with hope, faith,
humility, practice of justice, righteousness, pursuit of peace, and courage no
matter the challenges that we encounter daily in life. Watchfulness, alertness
and some sense of eagerness and urgency for compassion are also required on
every believer’s journey!
In the 586/7 BC the Babylonians
military had overrun Jerusalem and destroyed the temple there. Second Isaiah
had every reason to “proclaim” this message of hope and comfort to those
displaced in exile. Despite all the destruction, disappointments and set-backs
around him Isaiah was clearly called to proclaim, or “cry- out” the message of comfort
and hope of salvation to his people, hoping to walk the long highway, from
Babylon to Jerusalem, the Holy land. Getting there, Jerusalem shall be rebuilt and
the Lord will be like a good shepherd feeding, tendering and caring for his
flock in the rebuilt Jerusalem. Even though In Isaiah it is the Lord that leads
the way, with care and comfort, Isaiah” calls us to play our part on this long
journey. Imagine yourself setting out on a journey, on foot, especially, in
those ancient days, with dusty, hilly and rough paths. Naturally, you would naturally need to prepare physically,
materially, psychologically and mentally. As a believer you need to prepare spiritually, by
trusting in God’s Fidelity, the leader of our faith journeys!
The Second Reading (2 Peter 3:8-14) builds on the message of Isaiah. As a way of preparing for Christmas, it emphasizes devotion, sense of urgency, justice, righteousness
and peace. It says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the
heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by
fire,…since everything is to be dissolved in this way….conducting yourselves
in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of
the God,… in which righteousness dwells, and be eager to be found without spot
or blemish before him, at peace” (2 Pt 3:8–14).
Mark’s Gospel also makes a direct reference to the prophet Isaiah saying, “behold sending my
messenger ahead of you; he will prepare
your way, a voice of one crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths (Mark 1:3//Isaiah 40:3).
In the case of Mark, John the Baptist is the servant not Isaiah.
But what Isaiah announced thousands of years ago is what John the Baptists
proclaimed from the desert, during his time. It is the same, but renewed message of preparedness for the Lord,
through repentance, baptism, conversion, humility, justice and faith in the one
mightier than him!
In a pluralistic world of today, with various socio-cultural, and political challenges, including threats of war, ISIS, Boko Haram, Ebola, and terrorism, poverty, the gap between the "haves" and the have-nots," there are still many other ways we can prepare for Christmas. But what have been suggested in today's scriptures are achievable provided we placed our faith and trust in God’s fidelity. Once we become fully convinced of God’s faithfulness, then our lives takes on a new spirit of hope and optimism, as we prepare for Christmas!
In a pluralistic world of today, with various socio-cultural, and political challenges, including threats of war, ISIS, Boko Haram, Ebola, and terrorism, poverty, the gap between the "haves" and the have-nots," there are still many other ways we can prepare for Christmas. But what have been suggested in today's scriptures are achievable provided we placed our faith and trust in God’s fidelity. Once we become fully convinced of God’s faithfulness, then our lives takes on a new spirit of hope and optimism, as we prepare for Christmas!
