Second SUNDAY of ADVENT December 5, 1999

First: Is 40: 1-5.9-11; Second: 2Peter 3: 8-14; Gospel: Mk 1:1-8

THEME of the READINGS

The image of the "desert" appears in the first reading and in the Gospel, and summarizes the liturgical message of this Sunday of Advent. In the exile from Babylon, when it is drawing towards the end, a voice cries out: "Prepare in the desert a way for Yahweh" (first reading). In the Gospel, the voice that cries out is that of John the Baptist, the precursor of the Messiah, whose coming is near. In the "desert" man will also have to prepare for the great final coming of the Lord: "What we are waiting for, relying on his promises, is the new heavens and new earth, where uprightness will be at home" (second reading).

DOCTrinal MESSAGE

A necessary "desert". Phenomena that are not at all evangelical and not at all Christian take place in the world. Like the Jews exiled from Babylon were dazzled by the greatness of the empire and the magnificence of its religious rites, today’s men are seduced by technical progress. They feel the itch of other non-Christian religions, the allure of a dazzling paradise where drugs, sex and alcohol prevail, the sweet and soporific unconsciousness of sin even vis-à-vis the basic requirements laid down by the ten commandments... In such circumstances, the need for the "desert" arises. A place or state of the spirit where one can re-create an environment suitable for and conducive to an encounter with God and with one’s dignity as image and child of God. This may be achieved with inner silence, by concentrating one’s senses, and by means of assiduous meditation and prayer. When one loses the sense of God and that of sin, one needs "space", either interior or exterior, to recover that sense, to once again acquire principles, values and beliefs rooted in the individual’s and the Christian’s very being.

Divine intervention. God wishes to intervene in the history and life of humans, day after day. Human beings, however, do not grasp God’s intevention, nor do they let themselves be guided by it other than in the "desert". Only in the "desert" do they realize, like the Jews of Babylon, that valleys must be filled in, hills must be levelled and twisted paths must be straightened in order to reach the promised land once again (first reading). Only in the "desert" do they listen to John the Baptist’s preaching, do they convert and receive the baptism of water, which is the preparation for the baptism in Holy Spirit, proper of the disciples of Christ (Gospel). In our days, God continues to intervene in the lives of individuals and peoples. It is impossible to recognize and accept such intervention if one does not experience the purifying and meditative experience of the "desert".The desert flourishes. In the serene and silent enviroment of the "desert", we become imbued with the truth of God, the meaning of time, the supreme norm of existence. God is our king who comes with might and with a dominating arm to free us from sin and from its consequences. God is our Lord who brings with him his salary of eternal life and salvation. God is our shepherd, who gathers the flock around him and feeds it lovingly (first reading). In the "desert" we will learn that the day of the Lord comes like a thief and that God’s computation of time does not match that of man. In the "desert" we shall learn that God does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants everyone to be converted. In the "desert" we shall see clearly that as men wait for the Lord to come, they must maintain a holy and religious conduct, in other words, they must perfectly fulfill God’s most holy will (second reading). 

PASTORal SUGGESTIONS

A "desert" in your life. Life is movement, action, coming and going, doing, making plans, evolving, changing. Your life, from morning to evening is filled with work and tasks, dates and meetings, contacts and relationships, noise, smog, nervous stress ... You may come to think that instead of living, you are "lived" by the dynamic "zombie" of each day. How can one live? How can you be yourself fully? How can you pour the spirit into the daily "zombie", so materialistic and coarse? You need the "desert". You yourself can and must build it with patience, will power and God’s grace. In your "desert", it will be easy to prepare yourself adequately for Christmas, for God’s surprise in this Jubilee year.

Do you know who is coming? The an-swer is easy and clear to a Christian: "The Word of God who became flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Juda." This is the answer we find in the catechism we learn as children. But I ask you once again: do you really know who is coming? The catechetical answer must be followed by a dogmatic response, in other words, the rich doctrinal content of the catechetic formulation. And also the spiritual answer, that is, the meaning and influence that Jesus Christ has in your inner world (thoughts, decisions, ideals, plans) and in your relationship with the divine. Finally, we need the moral answer, that which we give with our daily behavior in the manner of Christ, on the basis of which Christ shapes his own activity and his combination of life experiences. Do you really know who is coming? Is your knowledge purely rational, or does it have a vital im-pact on your whole personality and your entire life experience? Advent is a good time to give a full answer to such a simple and yet such a transcendental question.

Source: http://www.clerus.org/clerus/dati/2004-05/21-13/CICLOB.html by P. ANTONIO IZQUIERDO L.C. (1948-2013)

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].