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Reflections on the Second Sunday of Advent

By Theresa Orlando

The readings for
this Sunday:

Isaiah 11:1-10

Romans 15:4-9

Matthew 3: 1-12

Advent is a time when the Liturgy calls us to reflect on the expectation of the second coming of Christ into the world. Jesus came once into history in the Incarnation, He comes into the heart and soul of each of us as we are baptized into his Body the Church. Jesus will come again in glory at the end times.

Isaiah in this first reading is expecting the Messiah to come into the world for the first time. The metaphor of the peaceable kingdom is how Isaiah envisions the world when the “root of Jesse” comes into the world and it is transformed. On that day everything will be made right again, justice will reign. Isaiah is longing and hoping for that day to come.

In the Gospel of Matthew, that day has come. John the Baptist heralds that the Messiah is near and all are to “prepare the way”. Preparing the way means to repent and ready our hearts for the coming of the Messiah into ours lives again and again, day after day. This cry of John’s should echo in our hearts during this Advent season. While the culture calls us to “shop 'til we drop”, the Church calls us to reflect on the incredible gift of the Incarnation in our lives. While the world around us is immersed in glitter, we are once again challenged to make ready the way. It is difficult to keep the season sacred. As you light the second candle on your Advent Wreath, pray that you and your family will keep Christ the Light of the World as your focus for these next weeks.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are reminded that God has gifted us with enduring hope. When we welcome one another as Christ welcomed us, we make His presence known and felt again. As Karl Rahner said: “whenever we love unconditionally, Christ is born again.” This is our Advent challenge: to be filled with the Word of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to permeate us so that we become pregnant with the Good News and that this season of gestation will enable the Christ to be born again in each of our lives and in all those we touch. Our hope for this Advent Season is that each of us will become a “dwelling place” where all are loved.