December 7, 2025
2nd Sunday Advent
FOCUS: Christ will bring us to new life and new growth.
Through Jesus, God fulfilled the promise he made to his people to bring them salvation. Christ’s death and resurrection opened the way for eternal life for all who believe, including the Gentiles. Let us prepare the way of the Lord by asking for God’s healing, listening for God’s voice, and raising our hearts to him.
What's in Your Heart
If a shoot can sprout from Jesse's aged stump, then hope sure does spring eternal even in circumstances we've given up for dead.
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What present-day conflicts or issues seem hopeless to you, in the global news or in your local parish? Are you willing to look for or nurture a sprout of hope even there?
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What factors bring justice out of unjust environments? What do you do to support the aims of justice?
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Who has acted most like John the Baptist in your lifetime? When have you been the one wielding the prophetic ax?
Homily Stories
Today, John the Baptist, asks us to think of ourselves as trees. A mighty oak comes to mind or a graceful birch. Apple trees are lovely, and who could deny the splendor of a magnolia tree? Being a tree has a calming effect. I feel myself swaying in the breeze. Life is good.
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But then I remember that awful ax that lies in wait at the base of every tree. John warns us quite plainly, "Bear good fruit or else."
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Now the pressure's on. Am I bearing fruit, I wonder. What does that really mean anyway? Are my good deeds that obvious? Is anything I do as life-giving as a one shiny green apple?
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John won't tolerate halfhearted commitments. It's all or nothing. It seems like such an impossible request. I can feel the ax being swung in my direction.
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But where I make my mistake is in thinking that the Baptist is asking us to be perfect. That is what the Pharisees or Sadducees might expect of us, but John condemns them. No, John merely asks for our repentance and preparation for God's kingdom. It is a continuous process. Our Baptism is the outward sign of what takes place daily in our relationship with God. We turn away in selfishness or arrogance, and later we acknowledge our sins and prepare ourselves once more for the coming of the Lord. It is our lasting desire to be at one with God that will keep the ax at bay.
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