Breaking Open the Word
December 7
Introduction
Waiting, an inevitable and necessary part of life that most of us do not enjoy. We wait in lines: to purchase groceries; to be served at popular restaurants; at stop signs and traffic signals; at amusement parks; to see a play or film. We must also wait for flowers to grow and bloom; for babies to be born; for wounds to heal; for bread to rise; for children to mature; for friends to call; for love to deepen. It is estimated that in a lifetime of 70 years, the average person spends at least three years waiting!
For Christians, however, the entire span of our life is a period of waiting --waiting for the God who comes. We renew within ourselves a gratitude for the gift of a God who comes, who has come, who will come and who never departs. Advent is a season filled with eager anticipation and joyful hope.
In the first reading from Isaiah, the prophet speaks of the eager hopes of the people who confidently awaited the messiah and all that his reign would bring. In the gospel, John the Baptizer proclaims that the waiting and messianic longings of his people are to be answered in the person and mission of Jesus. But preparations must be made; through repentance and faith, believers are to prepare a welcome for Him in their lives. Paul, in writing to the Romans reminds us that those who wait together for the many comings of our God should love one another in mutual support and acceptance.
Gospel Explained
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" The desert/wilderness had special significance in the history of God’s people. It was in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan that God transformed a community of former slaves into the holy nation of Israel during their forty years in the desert.
So, who is John the Baptist? St. John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus, whose priestly father was a descendant of Aaron, Moses's brother. Luke’s Gospel tells the story of the announcement of St. John's birth and his consecration to God from the womb of his mother in Luke 1:5-17, 24-38. John was the son of the priest, Zechariah. The angel Gabriel foretold His birth. The Holy Spirit filled Him in his mother's womb. He was a relative of Jesus through Mary's cousin Elizabeth. His mission was to turn the people back to God, leading them in the "spirit of Elijah," to make them "fit for the Lord." Like his father, John was a descendant of Aaron and a chief priest. John was six months older than Jesus.
John was the last and greatest of the Old Covenant prophets sent by God to prepare the way for the Redeemer-Messiah. The people enthusiastically received John and his mission because God had not sent a prophet to His people since Malachi in the mid-5th century BC. St. John's title, "immerser," stems from his practice of purifying the Jews in the waters of the Jordan River as a symbol of their repentance and renewal in preparation for the forgiveness of their sins and the coming of the Messiah. It was significant to the people that this new prophet dressed like the great 9th-century BC prophet Elijah.
The Old Covenant people of God understood the necessity of confessing and repenting of sins to remain in fellowship with God. All sin sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple began with a verbal confession of sin, and all peace offerings (communion sacrifices) with a confession of praise. The imperfect Old Covenant animal sacrifices prefigured the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the ritual purity laws requiring immersion prepared the Old Covenant people for the Sacrament of Christian Baptism.
Today's Theme
Through John’s preaching, the gospel makes the point that religious heritage will no longer be sufficient grounds for salvation. To those who made such claims, e.g. “Abraham is our father”, John replied that reform or conversion was the only way to welcome the reign of God. To those who accepted his challenge, John offered the baptism of repentance, explaining that his was only a preparatory rite. Announcing the coming of one more powerful than himself, John proclaimed that the coming baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire would be one of purification, judgment and new life.
Repentance and conversion are the first works of the grace of the Holy Spirit, effecting justification, which follows God's merciful initiative of offering His forgiveness to the contrite and repentant sinner. In the repentance of sins, one turns toward God and away from sin. The repentant sinner accepts God's forgiveness and righteousness, and the human heart opens to become a holy reservoir of divine love: "Justification is not only the remission of sins but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man" (CCC 1982).
St. John's ritual immersion for the repentance of sins was preparation for Christian baptism, but it was not the same. Old Covenant priests could only offer forgiveness for unintentional sins by making atonement for the repentant sinner through the repeated rites of blood sacrifice on the altar of God at the Temple. Only Christian baptism in Christ Jesus offers complete forgiveness of sins through Jesus's one perfect blood sacrifice. However, John's and Jesus's baptisms were both calls to conversion. John's baptism was a call to conversion in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, and Jesus's baptism is a conversion to new life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the first step on the path to salvation. In the preaching of St. John and Jesus, both stressed the urgency of repenting and turning back to God because "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”.
Theme in our Life Today
John railed against the Jewish leaders for their unwillingness to change and their pretense. For their part, the Jewish leaders reasoned: "Why should we change? We Sadducees (the Temple priests and civic leaders in Jerusalem) offer true worship to our God according to his Law. We Pharisees (rabbis who taught salvation through strict observance of the Law) follow God's Law faithfully. We are true descendants of Abraham, physically and spiritually. How is it possible for us to displease God?" As part of the establishment, the leaders resisted any change, especially one that might show lack of their spiritual leadership.
But John cut to the heart of the matter. Calling them "sons of snakes," he insulted the leadership by aligning them with Satan. Then, John demanded proof of moral change. Without change, how could someone show a true relationship with God? Being a Jew ("a son of Abraham") who followed the Law was not enough! John insisted one's heart return to the Lord.
As herald of Jesus and the reign of God, John the Baptizer explained by word and example precisely how to go about preparing a welcome for Jesus. Those who came to hear him speak, in the Judean desert near the Jordan, were told, “Reform your lives!”. To welcome the reign of God we must experience a thorough conversion. In Hebrew, the word for conversion, or shubh, implies that a person has found himself/herself on a wrong path or going in a wrong direction and has made a complete about-face in order to return to God. In Greek, the term for conversion is metanoia, which means an absolute change of mind and will. Conversion is not simply a personal decision to better oneself; rather it is the free response of a person to the prior initiative of a saving God. In other words, conversion means offering a welcome to the God who continually comes and knocks at the door of the human heart.
Today, and all during the Advent season, we are called to hear and to respond anew to John’s cry, “Reform your lives! The reign of God is at hand.” We cannot be lulled into complacency by the narrative of the world that says we are “spiritual” as we choose to do the things we want to do instead of loving, honoring and worshipping God. We cannot say we are Catholic if we do not practice our faith and have a relationship with Christ. We must be honest with ourselves. We are called to embrace the Kingdom of God that surrounds us and be ready for the day our Lord comes again to judge the earth…for we do not know the hour or the day of His coming.
Prepare for Sunday
Am I like the Pharisees or Sadducees, putting on a good face but hiding an empty heart?
In what ways, I have turned away from God? What habits, addictions, anger, unforgiveness, judgement of others is keeping me from the Kingdom of God?
Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal to me the condition of my heart. Have I given my heart to Christ? Do I allow Him to lead me on the path God has prepared for me with trust, hope and love?