First reading: Is. 11:1–10
On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.
Second reading: Rm. 15:4–9
Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name.
Gospel: Mt. 3:1–12
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
In other words
Fr. Jose H. P. Mateo, SVD (Paraguay)
During this season of Advent, we prepare for the coming of Jesus, first as a child, then as a judge. We prepare for the celebration of Christmas; we also prepare for the end of time. Jesus came as a child when he was born in Bethlehem and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. So we prepare for Christmas, the First Coming of Jesus; we also prepare for the end of time, the Second Coming of Christ. That is the twofold character of Advent.
The season of Advent covers the four Sundays before Christmas. The advent wreath illustrates this season with four candles signifying each Sunday. Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel, John the Baptist preaches repentance. The message is clear: Prepare the way of the Lord
To start with, we can prepare the way of the Lord through PRAYER. We can take inspiration from the First Reading. It describes the interior life that we should aspire for: “and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of Godliness.” In prayer, we can fill our hearts with the Word of God, the presence of God, and the peace of God.
After that, we can go to CONFESSION and ask the Lord for forgiveness for all the sins that we have done and for the good things that we have failed to do. In confession, we “make straight his paths.” And our paths, too.
In addition, we can engage in ACTS OF CHARITY. We can do something good and make life better for others. We are our brothers’ keepers. We can help promote human life, human development, and human dignity. We are one human family; we can show solidarity with everyone, especially the poor and the most vulnerable of our neighbors, by working for justice and peace. We can practice empathy and be compassionate with others. We can show care and concern for the environment. And we must remember that charity begins at home.
We can be more generous, patient and kind to our children so that as they grow, they also learn the value of giving without expecting anything in return.
The Church always teaches us about the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. All in all, there are fourteen of them. Indeed, there are more good things that we can do. Seven plus seven plus more!