Proper preparation for the incarnation does not
include counting down the remaining shopping
days 'til Christmas. The commercialized
materialism that has come to mark the secular
celebration of Advent is in many ways the
direct opposite of the spirit called for as we
seek to make ready for God's insertion into
human history.
While Advent is the season of anticipation, it is
also one of the times in the church year most
focused on the here and now. Advent calls us
as the people of God not only to reflect on the
Lord's coming as a babe in a manger and his promised return at the end
of time, but more important to open our hearts and our lives to be
changed by the Incarnate Word. The one who is to come is close at
hand. Be ready.
Rejoice in the Lord!
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians
4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18
All of John's talk about broods of vipers and laying axes
to roots seems out of place with the rest of today's
readings. The theme for the day is joy! The epistle calls us
to "Rejoice in the Lord always."Zephaniah invites
us to "Rejoice and exult with all your heart,"and
Isaiah urges us to "Shout aloud and sing for
joy."These are all very fitting for the Third Sunday of
Advent, traditionally known as "Gaudete"Sunday,
from the Latin term for "rejoice."
But what's John the Baptist doing here? His preaching is
brutally honest and a little unsettling: You brood of snakes.
You want to be baptized just to try to escape judgment
without truly turning to God. First go and prove by the way
you live that you really have repented. Your church
membership or social class won't save you. Then what shall we
do?, the crowd asks. If you have two coats, John responds,
give one to the poor. If you have extra food, give it away to
those who are hungry. A challenge to his listeners, and to
us.
Repentance is not just saying you're sorry, nor is it
merely a change in your head or even your heart. Gospel
repentance involves a change in your behavior, in the way you
live your life. Most people likely see John's call to a
transformed life as an indictment, and his mandate for
treating the poor justly as, at best, an unpleasant chore.
But John's call to repentance should be seen for what it is:
an invitation to salvation, the fruit of relationship with
the Holy One coming into our midst. When we respond to this
invitation in a joyful spirit, we may help to contribute not
only to a transformed world but to our own liberation. That,
indeed, is call for exuberant rejoicing.
