PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD

-->Second Sunday of Advent

We respect life. We have a commitment to preserve life. We love life.

Yesterday, a woman and her companion approached me. They asked me to bless the fetus. It was put in a little jar, with water in it. Poor little fetus! It was started to form a human body, but no life. No more life. I felt so sad when I looked at it.

Before the blessing, I talked to them in private and listened to what had happened. I listened to their heavy feelings, their frustration, their anger, their hatred. There were in tears. It was her sister who intentionally killed the baby in her womb. 

Why is it easy for the people to stop life? Where is our value of life? Abortion is not just a personal sin. It has an implication in our society. It will become a social sin. We have responsibility too. We are one body. We also have responsibilities for each other, to care for each other, to be concerned for each other.

Just like the prophets of the Old Testament, we have the responsibility to bring our society back to God. The prophets are those people inspired by the Holy Spirit who called the people of Israel to conversion, to be reconciled again with God. They tried to awaken true repentance among the people unconcerned with things of God. The prophets, like the prophet Isaiah, calling the people to “Prepare the way of the Lord!”

After centuries of prophetic silence, another prophet in the New Testament came. John the Baptist appeared and began to speak the Word of God to the people of Israel. His message is the same: “Prepare the way of the Lord!” For John the Baptist, to prepare the way of the Lord is to turn away from our sin, to turn back to God and to witness to the Truth. John the Baptist pointed the whole nation of Israel to Christ and the coming of the kingdom. His baptism with water was for repentance and taking a new way of life, a change of life, according to God’s Word.

The message of the Gospel today is to change our life in a way that God wants us to be. It is also to change our society in a way that God wants it to be – a society that protects life, preserves and respects life, a society that gives value to human life.

Life is a gift for us. (That is why we celebrate it in our birthdays.) In this season of Advent, we also celebrate life because the God of life is coming to us. In his first coming, Jesus lived his life with us. Then, he gave his life for us. He died on the cross that we might live.

Now that we are waiting for his second coming, we are challenge to truly prepare the way of the Lord – that is – to change our whole society, to bring it back to God. Like John the Baptist, we too are called to draw all people back to God. We are baptized in Christ with the Holy Spirit. We are prophets of our time. Each of us has a responsibility to point others to Jesus Christ and to the coming of his kingdom, the kingdom of life and love.

We have parents here; do we value and promote life within our family? We have especially youth here; do we condemn killings and abortion that destroy life? If so, we are preparing the way of the Lord and opening our hearts to receive him in this Holy Eucharist.

“ADVENT IS IN OUR HEARTS”

First Sunday of Advent

Do you know this song “Christmas in Our Hearts”? It is a very meaningful song. That’s why I love it so much. For sure, you know the author of this song. It’s Jose Mari Chan. He is a very popular Filipino song writer and a singer.

Last night, we watched his concert at CAP auditorium. It was sponsored by our parish so I was there to welcome people. I observed that there were a lot of people waiting. Some were waiting to meet friends and their families. Some were waiting for more customers to buy tickets. Some were waiting for the concert to start.

Perhaps, in our lives, there are much of waiting. We are waiting for someone we love and we miss – our friends, best friends, girlfriends or boyfriends, our sisters or brothers – who have been gone for awhile or for a long time. We anticipate their return. We don’t ignore their absence. We want to let them know how much we want to be with them again.

However, waiting is not that easy. Sometimes we feel bored or annoying. Waiting demands patients. And it demands us to stay awake - to “watch!”

In our Gospel today, Jesus tells us the parable about the long expected return of the Master. During that time, the wealthy land owners often left their business in the hands of his trusted servants. This gave them freedom to trade, freedom to expand the business, a freedom to use the talents and gifts. The Master expected them to be faithfulness, to be alert, to watch.

The faithful servants were those who stay awake, those who would eagerly anticipate their master’s return. They kept the house and the business in good order. They were alert and always ready and watchful.

Today, we are celebrating the First Sunday of Advent. We have our beautiful Advent wreath here. We have for Sundays before Christmas. Advent is a season of waiting, a season of preparation for the coming of Christ. We celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas. He came to live with us. More deeply, this season is a special preparation for the second coming of Christ. This time is certain but we don’t know when it comes. That is why Jesus wants us to be alert, to watch.

There always been a challenge for us to be aware that waiting is not something that is passive. It is not just sitting there and do nothing, or just wait and let see what happens. Our waiting is to keep watch, that is, to be active, to be awake. Our world is in chaos. Many are suffering of hunger, of poverty and oppression. There are wars, division and conflicts in our politics.

As we enter into this mystery of the Advent season, we are also challenge to be aware of what is happening in our society, in our community and our own family. This season can be realized when we are alert and watchful, that is, to participate and contribute something for peace in our family, peace in our society, peace in our world. And we can do it.

Jose Mari Chan is very true in his song that “Christmas is in our hearts”. The spirit of giving, the spirit of loving is there already in our hearts. For myself, “Advent is also in our hearts”. In our hearts, we are crying for peace, we are longing for justice. In our hearts, we are waiting for the Kingdom – we pray “May your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth.” We are waiting with hope, and, indeed, our hope is here – we will receive him in the Eucharist. He is Jesus Christ.