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2nd Sunday of Advent

On this second Sunday of the Advent Season, John the Baptist uses a word we don’t necessarily like to hear, “Repent.”  He cries out “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  He doesn’t invoke idyllic scenes when speaking to the Pharisee and Sadducees.  He calls them a brood of vipers, and asked “Who told you to repent?” and accused them of insincerity and presumption.  “Just because you are children of Abraham, God can raise your children to Abraham from these stones.”  He demands they produce good fruit as evidence.

This harsh message is good for all of us to hear.  Just because we were baptized and claim to be followers of Jesus, doesn’t mean a thing if we do nothing.  We need to heed his call.  Too often we are just admirers of Jesus not his followers.  Repentance means nothing if we do nothing.  We are called to bear good fruit in our workplaces, our communities, and in our world.

While John’s message was somber and grim, dark and heavy because he was the greatest of the Old Timers, the Old Testament prophets,  Jesus says the least born into the Kingdom of God is greater than he.  We are invited into that kingdom, but not only to profit passively from it, but to build it.  What can we do to build that beautiful scene Isaiah describes in our first reading, perfect harmony among all of God’s creation?

Love, Peace, Joy

Fr. Bob

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