Monday, December 10, 2012

2nd Sunday of Advent, Cycle C - December 9, 2012


2nd Sunday of Advent
Cycle C
December 9, 2012         10:30am and 12 noon

Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air

 

Introducing John


Imagine a person being introduced in this way:

“In the days when Mr. A was Secretary-General of the United Nations, in Mr. B’s seventh year as President of the United States, when Mrs. C was Governor of Maryland, and Mr. D was County Executive of Harford County, in the fifth year of the pontificate of Pope E, and while Archbishop F was Archbishop of Baltimore –

“A man named John felt God calling him.  He began talking about repentance.”

This gives us a sense of how Saint Luke is introducing John the Baptist in today’s gospel.  He wants us to know very precisely where John fits in history.

And so, Luke names the civil and religious leaders of the day.  But, he makes absolutely no comment about them.

Not Others but Us

In fact, Luke could say some critical and negative things, but he does not.

Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, and Herod are secular rulers leading a secular government.  But Luke does not blame all the troubles of the world on them because they are not religious or spiritual persons.

Annas and Caiphas are not the best of religious leaders.  But again, Luke does not bash them as being too progressive or too reactionary or too wishy-washy.

Luke just names them to get to his real point and that is John the Baptist and us.  John calls us, personally and individually, to prepare for the coming of the One sent by God.

John calls us to do this by dealing with the stuff in ourselves.  He wants us to look at how we live and the kind of persons we are.

This is how to let the Lord be more fully alive in us, not by being negative about our leaders or anyone else for that matter.  And to guide us in looking at ourselves, John uses images that some of the prophets had used.

Preparing the Way of the Lord

First, John says, “Every valley shall be filled in.”  Do we have a valley that comes from being caught up in our culture of consumerism?

Is there an emptiness in us that we try to fill by allowing mere desires to become needs?  This Advent, is there a valley we really need to fill with God by being more reflective and prayerful in the midst of all the busyness?

And then, John says, “Every mountain shall be made low.”  Do we have a mountain of rugged individualism?

Do we live with the attitude that we made it on our own and everyone else should be able to do that too?  This Advent, is there a mountain we have to level by remembering that we are both individuals and part of a community and that we have responsibility for ourselves and for the community as well?

Next, John says, “The winding ways shall be made straight.”  Do we create winding ways by pushing and twisting others to think or do things my way?

Are we so insistent on our way that we don’t really consider what this does to those around us?  This Advent, do we need to straighten these ways by talking things through with others and together arriving at something that we can all live with?

And finally, John says, “The rough ways shall be made smooth.”  Do we have a roughness about us that both Saint Luke and John the Baptist avoid?

Are we caught up in blaming and bashing with angry and demeaning words?  This Advent, do we need to smooth these ways by refraining from attacking and trying to understand things from the perspective of others?