Time for Change

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent

By Deacon Thomas Stephenson

December 4, 2016

In those days, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Repent. We all have an idea of what is meant by repentance – to be sorry or remorseful for our sins. But the word John uses, in this case translated from the Greek as the imperative verb repent, is based on a Greek noun, metanoia, which has a deeper meaning than what we think of as repentance. It means a profound change, a spiritual conversion, a transformation of heart and soul.

John’s appearance was a little unconventional. As was his diet. We can see that John depended completely on the grace of God to survive. In spite of this, or maybe because of it, he had many followers. The way he lived helped give validity to what he said; his life itself was an example for others. More than anything, though, it was the content of his teaching that drew people to listen to him. John’s mission was to prepare people for the coming of Lord; Matthew tells us that John is the one of whom the Prophet Isaiah spoke, the one who is to prepare the way of the Lord. All of the examples in the first reading today from Isaiah, all of the instances of things being reconciled, living in peace, harmony, and righteousness, these are things anticipated to occur once the Messiah has come, and we expect after the Second Coming of Christ. John’s message was consistent with Jewish teaching; he was instructing the people, not to believe something different, but to live their Jewish faith more fully. And he also called out those Jewish leaders who were hypocrites, those who were following the law just for the sake of the law, or for appearance, but not in their hearts. It’s probably fair to think that John knew many of these men, because his father Zechariah was a priest, and John would have been a priest, too, if had wanted to be one, so John would likely have been at least acquainted with these Pharisees and Sadducees. Even as he insulted them calling them brood of vipers, he did so not as much to condemn them as to warn them, telling them not to be presumptuous, and to bear fruit worthy of repentance. To change their lives. John was not afraid to speak the truth, especially to those who most needed to hear it, and yet told them of the way to straighten their paths – repentance.

As Catholics, we are always, constantly, called to repentance, to conversion, to change our hearts in whatever ways are necessary to bring us closer to God. To make paths straight and rough ways smooth. To remove the obstructions that are scattered along the way which interfere with our journey to the Lord, or block His path to us.

One of the largest obstacles we encounter is one that seems to get worse every year during Advent … a lack of time. Of course, this has become an issue that affects us almost the entire year, but it is more acute during this season. We can spend so much time getting ready for Christmas that we have no time to prepare for the coming of our saviour. Today’s collect says “may no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son.” No earthly undertaking, even those we are doing at this time of year in preparation for Christmas. Yes, we have heard this all before – so what should we do about it?

This passage by St. Anselm is from the Office of Readings from this past Friday:

Insignificant man, escape from your everyday business for a short while, hide for a moment from your restless thoughts. Break off from your cares and troubles and be less concerned about your tasks and labours. Make a little time for God and rest in Him.

Enter into your mind’s inner chamber. Shut out everything but God and whatever helps you to seek Him; and when you have shut the door, look for Him. Speak now to God and say with your whole heart: I seek your face; your face Lord, I desire.

This was written about 940 years ago. So our problem is not new, but it does seem to be worse. Having so much to do makes it that much more critical get control of our time and spend some of it preparing for the coming of the Lord. This is probably the most difficult for those families with children at home, but it also a challenge for those of us who are working full-time. And we know that even our retired parishioners are sometimes busier now than when they were employed. Regardless of our situation, the truth is that if we are too busy to reserve part of our day for God, we are too busy. There will always be more for us to do; it is difficult for us to intentionally do less in order to give that time to our relationship with the Lord. Having a goal, maybe some extra prayer time individually or as a family, or a specific amount of time for extra spiritual reading, can help. We also have a couple of things scheduled in our parish, to help us better experience Advent and prepare for Christmas. We have the Jesse Tree event here at the church next Sunday, December 11, at 7:00 pm. Also coming up is our Advent Penitential Service on Wednesday, December 14, at 7:00 pm. Although not as sombre as Lent, Advent is a penitential season, so it is fitting that we should receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at this time. What better way to prepare ourselves for the Lord than to go to confession?

As we prepare for Christ’s coming during Advent, both remembering His First Coming at His birth, and in anticipation of His Second coming, we should keep in mind that this preparation is not just for these few weeks. For us, the purpose of these preparations is an increase in our holiness, a greater and closer relationship with the Lord, one that continues throughout the year.

A few more words from St. Anselm:

Lord, teach me to seek you, and when I seek you show yourself to me, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, nor can I find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in desiring you and desire you in seeking you, find you in loving you and love you in finding you.

Let us pray that we can have our best Advent season, one during which we experience true repentance, and have the time to seek, desire, find, and love the Lord more than ever before.