FIRST READING (Prepare the way of the Lord.)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (40:1-5, 9-11)

Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.

A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care. —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14)

R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. (Ps 85:8)

I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord—for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. (R)

Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. (R)

The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and prepare the way of his steps. (R)

SECOND READING (We await new heavens and a new earth.)

A reading from the second Letter of Saint Peter (3:8-14)

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fi re. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.—The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Lk 3:4, 6)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (R)

GOSPEL (Make straight the paths of the Lord.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (1:1-8)

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight his paths!”

Our first reading from Isaiah this week is a continuation of last Sunday, although the tone is now quite different. Last week, Isaiah was writing to a people in exile, in slavery, cut off from their homeland, from places familiar to them, from every form of security, from every kind of consolation that had known. But now Isaiah tells this broken and dispirited people that even ALL THIS is not too much to bear. The prophet’s words turn from a judgment to an assurance that the promise is still their, and that God still has great things in store for those who believe in Him, who believe that the goodness, the joy in their lives is far from over. All that they have to do is to once again BECOME a people who can look beyond what is happening around them and look AHEAD to what they are called to be.

There is something in motion in the universe, a motion towards newness, toward WHOLENESS, a perfection that we ourselves could not possibly imagine. And every set of circumstances, every situation in which we find ourselves – good, bad, pleasant, unpleasant, – is meant to be a step forward in that inexorable movement toward WHOLENESS. 

So, while last week’s readings concentrated on expectation of things to come, today they speak more directly to beginnings. The reading from Isaiah is echoed in the Gospel when Mark compares St. John the Baptist to Isaiah. The voice of God cries out in the wilderness, “Your time of service (slavery) is at an end! (Your) guilt is expiated!” For Mark, this is how he opens his Gospel – with the proclamation of Christ being liberation for us all and the establishment of intimacy with God in and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of Man. This truly is GOOD NEWS. And when Mark speaks of “the way” it is a metaphor for discipleship – the path we follow by imitating Christ.

Our readings on this 2nd Sunday of Advent shine a spotlight to three special dimensions or parts of the Christmas season, Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary. Today’s Gospel and next Sunday’s will center on John the Baptist. 

John the Baptist is a familiar part of the Advent story in all of the Gospels. He is an integral part of Advent just as Advent wreaths and candles, Christmas trees and decorations, Christmas carols and shopping for gifts and things to give and donate.  John the Baptist is standing there, perhaps a little off to the side, as we go about this season. Mark reminds us that it is important that we have John the Baptist at this time of year! After all, can we really know the joy of salvation if we feel no need of being saved? 

Through the cry of John the Baptist, we are called to: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight his paths!” John the Baptist reminds us of the importance of reform, that Christmas is above all a moment given to us to renew ourselves in the power and grace of Jesus Christ. We are called to reform!

The cry of John the Baptist is a cry that is timely. But so too is the theme of our second reading from St. Peter’s 2nd Letter. It reminds us that we all have a common enemy in our lives. That common enemy is TIME – whether by TIME we mean Kronos or Kairos – both are our enemy.

There are simply not enough hours in a day. We often think, “If only I had an extra hour, an extra day, an extra week!” Or, during times of suffering, pain, loneliness, when we lie awake at night… unable to sleep and time seems to stand still… This was also a theme last week. Watching and waiting. 

We think, “I wish it were tomorrow, or next week… or next year!” Our 2nd reading focuses on TIME and its passing – a time that is very different for God – whose time is both endless and finite. Often, we cannot grasp a concept of time that works like this – a time that is not chronos looking at clocks and calendars, but Kairos – we are told that God is patient, not wishing for us to ever perish – he watches for us, be beckons us. But God also reminds us that he can be like “a thief” and that he will come to dissolve the heavens with flames – a metaphor for coming to judge us. This is another paradox of faith: it offers us a way of examining our life and seeing how well we live as disciples. Often, we put off such an examination thinking (wrongly) I’ll do it next year, or down the line sometime. But, God calls us now, today, this Advent! 

John calls us to snap out of our failure – our obliviousness – to see God in our midst. Immanuel (Hebrew: עִמָּנוּאֵל‎ meaning, “God with us.”) That same WORD that came to John comes to us each year in Advent – in the deserts of our own hearts – enabling us to transform the wastelands and straighten the winding roads of our lives leading us back to the compassion and justice of God. 

My brothers and sisters, the call of Isaiah and the cry of John the Baptist remind us that for peace, for inner joy we must first be willing to change our hearts. Let this be our gift to ourselves this Advent season. Let us realize again the preciousness of our life – even its fragility – and work to bring about peace. Maybe this Christmas will not bring peace to our world, but it can bring peace to our life. That is always a good place to start.

Come, O Lord, into the Advent of our lives. Your promise of eternity is a gift beyond comprehension! Help us to appreciate the moments that make up daily life, and spend our time in ways that celebrate our blessings. May your presence in our hearts, in our relationships, in our homes make us realize the preciousness of the time you have given to us. AMEN. 

Prayers

Celebrant:  The coming of our Redeemer was foretold by the prophets. By preaching repentance from sins, John the Baptist heralded his appearance. In the spirit of penance, let us seek God’s help through our prayers. 

READER: That the holy Church may reveal the glory of the Lord for all peoples to see, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER:  That Christian leaders may work for justice and peace based on divine mercy, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That those who are near death at this time may be prepared to meet Christ in a state of penitence and peace, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That others may see the patience of God through the way that we treat them, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all who are in special need of prayer at this difficult time of the pandemic, the sick, the lonely, those homebound, and families divided by quarantines, that our compassionate intercession may comfort them, and for the repose of the souls of all our deceased, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT:  Most loving Father, look upon the needs of your people and grant our petitions as we prepare the way for your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. (all) AMEN.