Second Sunday of Advent
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
MP3 – Homily Audio
Today’s readings place a special emphasis on St. John the Baptist. He is certainly one of the more interesting figures in Sacred Scripture. One might wonder, who would John the Baptist be today? Well…from the description given in the Gospel he is certainly not someone in the mainstream. Likely, if we saw him we would think that he was some kind of “nut”! John was what is commonly referred to as an ascetic. This means that he practiced self-denial and deprived himself of the goods of the earth for a clear purpose. Scripture says that he was “clothed in camel’s hair… fed on locusts and wild honey.” In the latter years of his life, John could be seen surrounded by crowds preaching the coming of the Messiah. So… who would he be today? Maybe John would be one of those “end of the world guys” holding a sign up in New York City?
Set aside for a Divine purpose
However, a closer look reveals that this Advent character is no mentally ill man. John is very sound of mind, but he is centered on an otherworldly goal. John’s coming is prophesied in the first reading which says, “A voice cries out in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord.” John, born miraculously in the womb of an elderly woman, is the forerunner of the Messiah. Elijah has returned in John to announce to Israel that the Messiah has come. The difference between an eccentric or mentally ill person and John is clear to see. St. John has a Divine purpose to his asceticism. He is radically poor and lives without comfort as a means to an end. John did so to focus his entire attention on his vocation. He did not want anything to distract him from the calling given him at his birth. Secondly, John was careful that nothing within him would take the attention off the Lamb of God. The Saint had to subdue his pride in order to do this.
St. John the Baptist is man bridging the gap between two eras. He is at the same time the last of the Old Testament prophets and first of the New Testament figures. Now, after Jesus’ first coming, we are all called to be prophets by our Baptism. We follow John the Baptist in announcing that “the Kingdom of God is at hand”. Each of the Baptized makes a promise to evangelize and point to Jesus by an authentic Christian life.
Some are called to be greater prophets
Now, there are some among us who are given a special call to be more profound prophets in the line of St. John the Baptist. These we remember in a special way in the year 2015. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, last week opened a special year of grace called the Year of Consecrated Life. The Pope tells us that, “Religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way.” They make vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for the Kingdom of God. The Pope reminds us that religious should grab people’s attention like John the Baptist and the other prophets. They do this by their joyful sacrifice of good things for the Kingdom. A religious man or women gives up family, material possessions, and their own desires for Jesus. This enables them to be able to try to serve each one of us with an undivided heart.
St. John the Baptist is a key figure in our Advent journey. He attracts our attention because he gives up everything to point out Jesus. Each one of us are called to do this within our state in life. If we put God first in our family, work, and lives this will be a prophetic sign. Others will notice that we are different. Our values are not like others. Our decisions are made from a different perspective.
Being a little different is not always a bad thing. The key is to be unique for the right reasons. The Baptist did this. All that he had was ordered to pointing out the Savior of the world. May we follow him this Advent in ordering our whole being to Emmanuel, the promised Messiah.