10 December 2023 – 2nd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

by Fr Fabian Dicom

Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11
Psalm 84:9-14
2 Peter 3:8-14
Mark 1:1-8

Theme: Preparation for The Messiah

Dear brothers and sisters, 

As we gather today in anticipation of the joyous celebration of Christmas, let us take a moment to reflect and refocus our hearts on the true essence of the season. I don’t want to sound like a wet blanket or a mood killer but in the midst of the festive decorations, carols singing and joyful gatherings and also this rush to get all the presents ready, it is essential that we remind ourselves of the only reason behind our Christmas celebration.

And that is the profound reality that God became man. That is it. That is all that is important.

Now in the Gospel of Mark, we are reminded of the pivotal role played by John the Baptist, who directed our attention unequivocally to Jesus Christ. He pointed to him. Mark defines his gospel as the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the Crucified and Risen Lord.

Now the two Christological themes, Christ (which means the Messiah) and Son of Man is the essence of the Good News. It is not just a story. It is the living presence of the saving power of Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist who had initially called for repentance as we know, now proclaims the coming of greater than he, of the greater than he, Jesus Christ, who will baptise with the Holy Spirit. And that is the message of the Gospel today.

In a departure from the Synoptic Gospels which gives a summary of the ethical preaching of John the Baptist, Mark in his Gospel focuses on John as the pointer to the coming One. That is his main focus. Baptism now is with the Holy Spirit. Baptism in or with the Holy Spirit is not a judgment anymore but a promise, an outpouring of the Spirit for the time of salvation.

In the parable text of Matthew and of Luke, this baptism is described as being with the Holy Spirit and with Fire. That is the baptism of judgment. It is likely that John the Baptist spoke only of the baptism with fire. But here in Mark, a threat of the impending judgment has been transformed into a prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit, which is the work of the Risen Lord.

In the Gospel of Mark, neither John nor Jesus preached judgment. Neither of them preached judgment. This realisation beckons us to shift our mindset from one that is fixated on judgment to one that is embracing grace and the life of the Holy Spirit. Let us consider that. It is a very serious thing to consider. That shift in our lives, if we have not made it, is vital. 

Approaching Christmas, let us wholeheartedly embrace the life in the Spirit, that the Risen Lord extends to us. Rather than dwelling on judgment, let us free ourselves from this preoccupation and in turn claim our space in the space of the tent of our Lord, simultaneously welcoming others as well, unconditionally into the space of this tent.

Perhaps with this understanding and this disposition, we may be ready to prepare what we have heard in the Readings, the way of the Lord, enroute, also in the 2nd Reading, to the day of the Lord.

The way of the Lord that leads to the day of the Lord, words that we have heard in the Readings today. A term, the day of the Lord is the term which the authors of the Christian scriptures carried from the Hebrew scriptures. The author of the 2nd letter of Peter describes it this way:
What we are waiting for is what He promised, the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. It is the day of God’s salvation.

And when the Psalmist also says today:
Mercy and faithfulness have met,
justice and peace have embraced,
faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.

We await the day of the Lord. But, it is an active waiting. This active waiting constitutes preparing the way of the Lord. John the Baptist echoes the Prophet Isaiah’s message: In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.

And we hear from the 1st Reading, make a straight highway for our God across the desert.

In Isaiah, we also hear the prophetic voice announcing comfort and the coming of the Lord. This aligns perfectly with the theme of preparing the way of the Lord. The comforting promise of God’s presence, the call to prepare a way in the wilderness, the assurance of the Lord’s tender care for His people resonate with the essence of Christmas season.

My dear brothers and sisters, we stand as it were. I would think we stand as it were in a desert, an empty wasteland, perhaps our broken lives, and rejected people.

Now the challenge of Advent is to clear a straight path. And like in the words of the Opening Prayer this morning: May no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet Your Son. Or in other words, we pray to remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy. And that is basically making the path straight. 

And what would that entail? Personally? Now when I reflect on it, I think for me it is to dispense with the fear of judgment. To dispense, to omit this and not to be preoccupied with cause or effect: If I do this the Lord will punish me, etc. And having said that, do not allow others to instill fear in us, to manipulate us or even control us by invoking this concept of divine judgment. Be aware of it.

Sometimes I wonder if to this people God only talks to them only of others and God doesn’t talk to them about themselves? And instead, let us embrace grace and goodness and God’s unconditional love. Let us embrace that. That is the way of the Lord.

And for us, as church and community, to remove injustices around us, to remove discrimination, to remove prejudices, to remove everything, that we will protect people rather than to hurt them with our actions, with our inactions or even by our slanderous words. That we protect each other not only here but everywhere. We protect humanity around us, everywhere. 

The way of the Lord is when we are peacemakers. Peacemakers. That we are kind and compassionate, especially to strangers.

The promise of Advent is that the Lord will come to save all nations. And we are part of it. Just to quote the US Bishop’s Document on Health and Healthcare (and I think it fits into our theme today). They wrote:

Because we believe in the dignity of the person, we must embrace every chance to help and to liberate, to heal the wounded world as Jesus taught us. Our hands must be the strong but gentle hands of Christ, reaching out in mercy and justice, touching individual persons but also touching the social conditions that hinder the wholeness, which is God’s desire for humanity.

Christmas is not just about the birth of a baby in Bethlehem. It is about God becoming man. It is about Emmanuel, God with us, present in every moment of our lives. The season of Advent serves as a profound reminder of God’s entrance into our world, culminating in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

And finally, as we journey through this Advent season, and as we prepare to receive the Eucharist, let us prepare our hearts to receive the Lord. Let us create a space in our lives for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We who are baptised, embracing the grace and love that Jesus brings. May our focus be unwavering, centred on the true reason for our celebration, the profound reality of God becoming man.

Amen.

Click below to listen to the homily and watch the video:-

Click to live-stream Mass on 10 December 2023