Reflections for Sunday
Second Sunday of Advent - December 7, 2003
The word of God came to John son of Zachariah in the desert, and he went around the region of the Jordan proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
"A voice crying in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled,
Every mountain and hill made low,
The crooked shall be made straight,
And the rough made smooth,
And all flesh will see the salvation of God."Luke 3: 2-6
Advent
The life of faith is a continual advent. Those of us who seek the Lord spend our entire lives waiting for his coming. We do not know if we will recognize him at his coming, or if we will be prepared to receive him. But we live in expectation of him, because we know by faith that he is our fulfillment.
The coming of the Lord is not only an historical event that happened once in the past and will happen once again at the end of time. It is also a spiritual event that transcends time and place and engages us in the midst of our daily life. We relive the history of salvation every day.
Every day we hear the call of John to undergo the baptism of repentance. Every day we struggle with our fallenness, our brokenness, our incompleteness. Every day we are immersed in the spiritual waters of forgiveness, and we emerge to new opportunities for grace. Every day we prepare ourselves to meet the Lord who is already in our midst. We recognize him in the faces and outstretched hands of our brothers and sisters.
In eager expectation of meeting him today, we make the crooked ways of our heart straight, and the roughness of our spirit smooth. We prepare the way for him so that we will be open to his coming and rejoice when we meet him.
God's salvation is all around us even today. May we strive for the purity of heart that will allow us to see his face and be transformed by his love.
Lord Jesus, purify my heart of all that hinders me from loving you and doing your will. Remove from me every attachment to earthly things, and free me from the bondage of sin, that I may be prepared to meet you today and in heaven.