Gospel Lectio Divina for The Second Sunday of Advent - December 4, 2022
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
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."
MEDITATE
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
Repentance is the gospel. It is good news that there is a chance for us to reconcile with God by simply repenting of our sins. It is good news that God is opening himself up to us and offering this opportunity. The bad news is that, in our fallen nature, we will often see this offer as an insult. Why should I repent of who I am? I am proud of who I am. Sure, I have my faults, but all in all I like the life I’ve made for myself. Popular culture encourages that idea: When everyone else doubts you, when no one else will accept the way you are, forget them. You don’t need them. Believe in yourself because the only person you need is yourself.
But loved ones love us too much to let us remain the way we are. That tough love comes from the gospel, which is rooted in a call to repentance. Advent is a time of change. As fall turns into winter, we are called to acknowledge our fallen nature and brace ourselves for a cold awakening–where our old self can die away to prepare the way for our own rebirth as we wait for the birth of our Lord.
Prepare the way of the Lord
How can I prepare for the Lord’s coming in my heart and in my life? I can set aside more time to read Scripture and the saints’ writings. I can frequent the sacrament of confession more often. I can give alms more often. Advent is a mini-Lent. We prepare for Christ, the Light of the World, in the same way we prepare to be reborn at Easter. The birth of our Savior into this world parallels his death and resurrection. By coming to earth, he descended to our level and subjected himself to human frailty. By dying on a cross he also subjected himself, only this time to death. By being born into this world on Christmas, Christ invited us to be born again as Christians. Similarly, by dying and rising again, he invited us to rise to new life in him. Both Christmas and Easter are about birth and new life. Christmas occurs in winter to remind us of how the old must first be stripped and raked away like the leaves, to make way for the new.
make straight his paths.
The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, getting nowhere, because they were not committed to serving the Lord. Now that it is time for Christ to come down to earth, their time is up. God’s people won’t be given 40 years to make a straight path to the Promised Land anymore. In 33 years or so, the Son of God will be tried and condemned, and they will have to choose a side. Thankfully, there were many who chose to repent and follow John the Baptist. There were also many who chose to follow Christ in his straight and narrow way. Even to this day, we are all given a chance to choose to follow him.
I admit that I struggle with the “straight path” analogy because I like to wander. “The one who wanders is not lost”, Gandalf’s famous line to Frodo describing Strider, is somewhat of a mantra for my life. I find truth by wandering off the beaten bath, by taking the road less-traveled. Why is the gospel so insistent upon us taking a straight path when there is so much to discover, when there are so many other paths that can reveal such great truth and beauty? When I travel to Texas from New Jersey to see my mother, brother, and sister, I like taking different routes so I can experience different parts of the country. I feel like this awakens a part of my soul that wouldn’t be awakened if I took the same path each time.
However, upon further observation I notice that I do not get much accomplished unless I’m given a step-by-step system. As much as I like to fight the fact, the best way to finish something is to follow someone’s instructions or to let someone guide you. Students pay tens of thousands of dollars to learn a trade. Online courses are taking off because people are discovering the value of learning processes and systems for reaching their goals. Why should reaching the goal of eternal life be any different? John is leading us to the one who is the Way to eternal life. We don’t have to pay tuition to learn the way. It’s right there in the gospel for free.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
The liturgical year begins with teachings about the end, but that end is also a beginning. Just like winter, the old is raked away and pruned to make way for the new. It’s time to put away the summer clothes of our youth, and pull out the sweaters because the weather is going to get rough. As St. Paul said, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things” 1 Corinthians 13:11). Advent is a good time to assess our year and see what worked and what didn’t work. Come Christmas, when everyone is giving and receiving gifts, we will know exactly what to get rid of in our lives to make room for the new graces we received and start afresh with the New Year.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
Grant me the humility to make my paths straight, and to see that your way is the best way. This Advent season, please give me the gift of commitment and resolve to keep a true course to you. Help me to not waste time wavering to the left or to the right. The straight and narrow way is the only way. Give me also a heart of repentance, because I cannot see the light of truth if my sins are in the way. I look forward to being prepared for your coming on Christmas Day and the last day. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
A voice still cries out in the desert. It is the voice of those who have renounced this world, those who refuse to be influenced by the news and trends of our society. It’s the voice of those who put the quest for God before everything else, and as a result offer straight advice that many others are afraid to share. But the more society tries to silence them, the more people seek them out, just like they sought out John the Baptist, because they hunger for truth. If we listen for the truth, we will find the John the Baptists of our time.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.