December 06, 2009 Second Sunday of Advent Bar. 5:1-9; Phil. 1:3-6, 8-11; Lk. 3:1-6 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/nab/120609.shtml   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   John the Baptist was getting the people prepared for the Lord, for Jesus. He knew that the people had to get a new way of thinking and acting. One needs to get ready by knowing one’s sins, by getting forgiveness for the sins and by changing the mind about oneself in relationship to God. As a sign that one is prepared to meet the coming Lord, get washed, away with the old.   What do we need to change? As we think about our relationship with God, what do we need to change? It might well be that what we need to change is a basic need. We can’t get in touch with God by ourselves.   "Make room for God!" "Get rid of everything in your life that is a barrier to God!" "Every person will see the promises of God come to pass!" We need to make room for God. "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."  It is easy to find our lives so cluttered and busy that there is no room for our relationship with God. There are times when our religious activity is done out of obligation. The hard thing is that the times we celebrate the central events of the Christian faith is precisely the time when the pace of our lives is most hectic. "How can I make a straighter path and more room for God in my life"   Secondly, we need to get rid of everything in our lives that is a barrier to God. When John the Baptist spoke the words of the prophet Isaiah about the levelling of the mountains and the lifting up of the valleys, he was talking about justice and righteousness becoming the norm. He was pointing to a world where "good news" was a reality. He spoke of the kind of world it would be when God was truly in charge. When we turn our attention outward and purpose to follow Christ in our giving and reaching out, we automatically begin to work on removing the barriers to God's presence in our lives and in our world!   Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill made low, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. John is calling us to get ready for something so great that it fills our emptiness with expectation. They ask us to repent of our wrongs, smooth the rough places, and fill in the holes in our sinful lives. So, what might sound hopeful to some is threatening to others.   <<   Previous: First Sunday of Advent  |   Next: Third Sunday of Advent >>   Go Back to SERMONS (Year C)