What to say?

Listening to the Spirit

Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit that I may learn to be small like Zacchaeus, small in moral stature, but also grant me strength to lift myself a little from the earth, urged by the desire to see You passing during this time of Advent, to know You and to know that You are there for me. Lord Jesus, good master, by the power of Your Spirit, arouse in our hearts the desire to understand Your Word that reveals the saving love of the Father.

Listening to the Word

Matthew 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."

Reflection

While going through this wonderful season of Advent and preparing the celebration of Christmas, listening to many sweet words and greetings for this time of the year is not so amazing. So often, we try in all ways, to make the message of Advent lighter and smoother. This is not just one reality of our time. It`s enough to look at the long tradition of songs, decorations, and cards that this period of the feast has produced over the past centuries. What are the words to say? How are these words used right on this occasion?

As it was at the time of John the Baptist, so it's in our days. It is very difficult to look into the words of the baptizer and make them fit in this season of Advent. For sure, it might be difficult to make our wishes in this season, writing in our Christmas cards and messages the words of John…"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" or “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” Without these words in mind, we not only lose the meaning of this precious time but also spoil it with our own ideas.

Repentance is of fundamental, importance in the Christian message. John gives a reason for this call: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Repentance is the way to make space for the kingdom, for God himself to be in our hearts. With only sweet words it will be hard to bring our hearts to the right path of the gospel. Maybe, we continue in our peculiar traditional ways and not in the one of Jesus that John tells us today.

It is not unusual that many want a Christmas without Advent, an Easter without Lent, happiness without sacrifice, peace without justice, or heaven without conversion of life. John reminds us that Christmas is not just a holiday season but a moment to renew ourselves in the power and grace of Christ.

The message of John tries in all ways to keep us away from living an empty Christian life that is full of rituals but bare in meaning and commitment. “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” In this Christian message, there is no room for mediocrity and superficiality only. John addresses his words to each one of us personally. He is not inviting people to bring together good works alone; he is looking for a change in the orientation of the whole of life that will result in fruitful living.

John not only denounced men for what they have done, but he also summoned them to what they ought to do. He not only condemned men for what they were; he challenged them to be what they could be. He not only rebuked evil but he also set the good before men. An expression of St. John Henry Newman may help us understand that the call of the baptizer suggests urgency: “Here on earth to live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed frequently”. To change is to be understood from the point of view of repentance: an intimate change of heart. To live is to change. If ever this urge to change grows dim, one would no longer be alive.

After reading this Sunday's gospel we discover not only what to say but first of all, we learn to listen to the word that will accompany and prepare us for the celebration of the first coming of the Lord and set us to look forward to His second coming. Knowing that the reason for repentance is foreshadowing the coming of the kingdom, let's produce good fruit as evidence of our repentance. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”