December 13, 2015
3rd Sunday of Advent
Prophets tend to scare us with their posters and words of doom: The End Is Near! Prophets in the Bible, like Zephaniah (1st Reading), utter warnings of divine judgment/punishment but also promise God’s salvation/consolation. Our emotional response is a mix of fear/worry and joy/hope. This clash of emotions is evident when Paul writes to the Church at Philippi: “Rejoice in the Lord always.†Philippians are anxious about the welfare of Paul in prison and about internal issues in the community. They must wonder why and how they can rejoice. But for both the community in distress and for Paul imprisoned the Lord is near. Paul encourages the Philippians to make their requests known to God in prayer. He assures them the peace of God surpassing all understanding will guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. John, the Baptist, frightens us with images of “chaff burning in unquenchable fire†but he also preaches good news of the coming of the one mightier than he. John calls us to a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. This conversion event leads to living with generosity and compassion (e.g. giving an extra cloak and food to others who have none) and to living with integrity (e.g. stop cheating, extorting and bullying people). During these remaining days of Advent, we can follow the advice of the Baptist: Express our regret for sin and experience God’s mercy then, in the Spirit and fire of the One who is to come, we conduct our lives in fairness and generosity. Simply we need to open our hearts, open our closets (providing clothing for poor) and open pantries (sharing food with the hungry). Advent is not a time for accumulating more but for living with greater simplicity knowing in our hearts and minds that the Lord is near. “Rejoice.â€
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Immaculate Conception
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4th Sunday of Advent
