Second Sunday of Advent – Prepare the way of the Lord – Mark 1:1-8

“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.  A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”  John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…And this is what he proclaimed:  “One mightier than I is coming after me.  I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  (Mark 1:2-3, 7-8)

 

In the Gospel reading for the second week of Advent, which is the same each year, we hear the story of the preaching of John the Baptist. It is John’s job to prepare the Jews for the coming of the Messiah; it is his job to ready their hearts for conversion, a conversion that must begin with repentance.

In theory, we should be working on our conversion every day of our lives, but we can easily become so busy that we let God drift to the edge of our life. I know that I am guilty of this, allowing myself to become too preoccupied with “getting everything done.” This is why we need penitential seasons like Advent and Lent. They give us a time to reevaluate our lives and recommit ourselves to living a Gospel lifestyle.

 “John the Baptist’s appeal for conversion rings out in our communities; it is a pressing invitation to open our hearts to receive the Son of God who comes among us to make manifest the divine judgment.  At the end of our days on earth, at the moment of death, we will be evaluated on the basis of our likeness, or lack of it, to the Child who is about to be born in the poor grotto of Bethlehem.  Because He is the criterion of the measure that God has given to humanity.” (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)

Tonight light the second candle of your Advent Wreath
Advent Blessings from Lynn'sTimeless Treasures

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Photographs
Advent Wreath Blessed Sacrament Chapel Carmel Mission - L. A. Momboisse
Art
John the Baptist - Titian
Baptism of Christ - Francesco Alban

Second Sunday of Advent - Prepare

Second Sunday of Advent
Prepare the Way of the Lord

Today’s message for the second Sunday of Advent is prepare. Are we prepared for the Lord’s coming? If He came for us today, would we be ready?

Our first reading from Isaiah was written to give comfort to the Jewish people who at the time were in exile in Babylon. “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God….The rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country a broad valley. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” (Isaiah 40:1-5) In this reading Isaiah describes how God would soon lead the Israelites out of exile to Jerusalem. “Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom and leading the ewes with care.” (Isaiah 40:11)

In today’s Gospel we hear the same prophecy from Isaiah linked to John the Baptist, a man who lives on locusts and wild honey in the dessert, who preaches the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and points to Jesus the Messiah. John proclaims, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths…One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:6-7)

The prophecy from Isaiah and the message of John the Baptist is still applicable. The Lord continues to call each of us to prepare our hearts, to make straight our path, to be open to Him so that we might be ready, prepared and welcome His coming. Is there still time to prepare? Yes, as the second reading of today’s liturgy reminds us, we are living in a time of great mercy and have the opportunity to repent. “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (II Peter (3:9)

Pope Benedict XVI put it this way, “The style of John the Baptist was meant to call all Christians to choose a sober lifestyle, especially in preparation for the feast of Christmas….John’s appeal goes far beyond and deeper than a call to a sober lifestyle: it is a call for inner change, starting with the recognition and confession of our sins. As we prepare for Christmas, it is important that we find time for self contemplation and carry out an honest assessment of our lives. May we be enlightened by a ray of the light that comes from Bethlehem, the light of He who is "the Greatest" and made himself small, he who is "the Strongest" but became weak.” (Audience & Angelus the Second Sunday of Advent 12/4/2011, Pope Benedict XVI)

The second Sunday of Advent calls us to prepare and make straight our path, by examining our life journey and filling the valley of sin in our hearts with the mercy of God’s healing grace. The Lord has no limit to what he wants to give to us, it is us who put the limits on those gifts. God truly thirsts for us. He longs to gather us in his arms, carry us in his bosom and lead us with care.

Tonight light the second candle of your advent wreath then,

“Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight His paths.” (Mark 1:3)

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Art
John the Baptist – Titian
Preaching of John the Baptist – Domenico Ghirlandaio
John the Baptist with Child Jesus – Murillo

Second Sunday of Advent - Matthew 3:1-12

Second Sunday of Advent

December 5, 2010
December 8, 2013
December 4, 2016
December 8, 2019

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. Matthew 3:2

The Advent theme continues this week with a reminder to stay awake, be ready and repent, for a new day is coming, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The readings this week speak of the need for conversion in order to meet the Messiah whom God is sending into the world.

In Isaiah we learn about when the Kingdom of God is fully realized, the true peace that was intended from the beginning will be restored, when “the wolf shall be the guest of the lamb….and there shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord..”

In Romans, Paul reminds us “to live in harmony with one another,” and that Christ came not only to proclaim the kingdom to the Israelites, but to the whole world.

Center Panel Saint John's Altarpiece, Rogier van der Weyden

Finally in the Gospel reading for the second week of Advent, which is the same each year, we hear the story of the preaching of John the Baptist. It is John’s job to prepare the Jews for the coming of the Messiah; it is his job to ready their hearts for conversion, a conversion that must begin with repentance.

In theory, we should be working on our conversion every day of our lives, but we can easily become so busy that we let God drift to the edge of our life. I know that I am guilty of this, allowing myself to become too preoccupied with “getting everything done.” This is why we need penitential seasons like Advent and Lent. They give us a time to reevaluate our lives and recommit ourselves to living a Gospel lifestyle.

Isaiah 11:1-10

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72

Romans 15:4-9

Matthew 3:1-12

Tonight light the second candle of your Advent Wreath
Advent Blessings from Lynn's Timeless Treasures

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Art Public Domain

Second Sunday of Advent - Luke 3:1-6

December 6, 2009

December 9, 2012
December 5, 2015

In today’s gospel we read of John the Baptist, his voice crying out from the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, repent and be baptized for the remission of sin. This is a good time to rededicate ourselves to the most important task that any of us will ever undertake – the gaining of God’s salvation and the joy of living forever with Him in heaven. It is a good time to prepare the internal dwelling of the house of God in our hearts.  

Here is Fr. James Kubicki's refection on today's readings.         https://youtu.be/XF57TcAl4eo

Light the second candle in your Advent Wreath