REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B

REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B

THEME: PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD

By. Rev. Sylvanus Amaobi

(1st Reading, Is. 40:1-5,9-11; 2nd Reading, 2 Peter 3:8-14; Gospel, Mk. 1:1-8)

Dear brothers and sisters, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Our God is a compassionate and merciful God who loves His people and desires the best for them. Through His prophet, He announced a message of great joy, a message of comfort, and consolation. He promised the returnees of Israel that the period of their servitude was about to be over and that their guilt was expiated. They should cry for joy because their God is here. He comes with power, the Lord God, who rules by His strong arm.

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In order to be fully into the joy of God being with them, Isaiah also challenged them to: “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low”. What valley, mountains, and hills was Isaiah talking about? There is no doubt that Isaiah was speaking in figurative terms. He was calling the Israelites to repentance and reconciliation with God. He challenged them to remove the obstacles affecting their relationship with God. Those obstacles are sins of every kind and an inordinate attachment to things other than God. It is this same mission that John the Baptist assumed in the new dispensation for the people of God, as we read in the Gospel passage of Mk 1:1-8.

JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE FORERUNNER

John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. He was the voice crying in the desert to prepare the way of the Lord and make straight His path. He preached the message of repentance and offered a baptism for the forgiveness of sins. John baptizes with water, but He who comes after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit because He is mightier than him. John’s message was relevant to the Jews of his time, who were filled with hopes about the coming Messiah. The message is equally relevant to us today, who, too, anticipate or expect the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ in his glory. As John’s audience acknowledged their sins and were baptized, we are called to acknowledge our sins and be baptized with the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ. This is a necessary step to repentance.

As we prepare for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we should personalize these questions: What are the mountains, hills, and valleys of my life that should be leveled to enable the Lord to walk on a straight path in my life? What obstacles in my life affect my relationship with God and interfere with my spiritual life? We should eschew in our lives such things as pride, wickedness, sexual immorality, dishonesty, lies, cheating, bribery and corruption, vileness, murder, violent and recalcitrant behaviors, stubbornness, and a host of other deadly sins, evil deeds, and inclinations. The list is inexhaustible. We know ourselves better than anyone. These constitute our mountains and hills that need to be leveled or valleys that need to be filled. In fact, every one of our crooked ways is inimical to our spiritual life and growth. They adversely affect our relationship with God. They are the valleys, mountains, and hills of our lives that should be filled or leveled for spiritual growth and an excellent relationship with God, as Prophet Isaiah advised.

Always remember that Jesus loves you!

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