2nd Sunday-Advent

Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12

My non-Catholic friends seem to think we take sin a bit too seriously- that Catholic guilt. People of other Christian denominations certainly acknowledge and repent for their sins, however, it’s an internal process, conducted in the solitude of the head. Confession and commitment to repetence, when externalized through a conversation with another person, becomes an occasion as opposed to a thought. Thoughts come and go, but events, because they can easily be recalled, reflected upon and learned from, carry a lasting effect. As occasions, confession, repentance and the Lord’s forgiveness can be celebrated.

“The work of Jesus is not to be understood apart from that of John the Baptist. Scripture itself— foreseeing in advance of the appearance of the Lord, a voice preparing his way— requires the linkage (1).” John the Baptist was necessary to fulfill the prophesies related to Jesus, but he was also the first recognized and acknowledged Jewish prophet in 400 years (2). The role of a prophet was essential to the history of the Jewish people and their relationship with the Lord. John said, “Turn away from sin, and turn towards God,” as the prophets had said of old and repetitively, however, they had not heard this for quite some time.

Sometimes we don’t know that we are missing something we used to have or do until it resurfaces. Then it is its fulfillment and existence which has shown us its absence; the celebration of its return is triple-fold. Celebration 1—We have found or refound something lost; celebration 2—we’ve found or refound something that was profoundly necessary; celebration 3—the something that was absent is now present. The role and presence of John the Baptist after the four hundred year absence of prophetic voices, as well as his actual message, must have been a cause for celebration.

While repentance is a great message, at times we are doing “okay” and may need no radical transformations. However, a ‘metonoia,’ a change of heart, may sometimes mean a change in the size of things. As we rebalance the doing, praying, contemplation, the “God-talk,” we evaluate the degree to which our external deeds and words match our internal commitment and belief of the Gospel. According to Barclay, the rabbis said, “Great is repentance for it brings healing upon the world.”

If I think about the Lord frequently but never talk about Him to others, there’s a disconnect; if I think and talk to others about real world stuff, such as money worries, but don’t mention them to God, there’s a disconnect. These sorts of disconnects create an internal and external sense of conflict, while such repentance brings about wholeness, balance and peace. We may not desperately need to repent for our own sake, (although in my experience it always seems necessary), it brings about a better world.

And luckily, the Lord doesn’t charge a reconnect fee!

Journal Questions

When have I recognized an absence of something or someone that had been important to me, until he, she or it returned. In what way was the refinding a triple-fold celebration?
Upon reflecting on the level of repentence needed in my life right now, do I need major renovations, or a subtle and intricate retooling and rebalancing?
When do my internal committments to Christ connect with my words and deeds; when do they disconnect? What might be the causes of the disconnections. How can I reconnect? How can I retain that connection once reestablished?

Resources
1- The New Interpreter’s Bible: One Volume Commentary. Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 2010.
2- The Gospel of Matthew, Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminister Press. Philadelphia, 1977.

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