Somebody is coming! ~ A Reflection on the Second Sunday of Advent (B)

Second Sunday of Advent (B)

Is 40:1-5, 9-11
Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
2 Peter 3:8-14
Mark 1:1-8

Isaiah sets the stage in the first reading by declaring to all the people: "...prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" (Is 40:3)

It is a time of joy for the people, for God has proclaimed that their guilt is expiated and their sins forgiven. Though God will come with power, he will gather his people with the tenderness that a shepherd cares for his lambs...

In the Gospel reading, Mark introduces John the Baptizer, who is to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. John has the distinction of being the final prophet and he proclaims a baptism of repentance in preparation for the coming of the Kingdom. John wishes to make certain that his followers do not think he is the Messiah and so he preaches that a mightier one than he is coming; One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit!

In the second reading, we hear once more about the final coming of the Lord. We cannot know when it will occur because God's time is not like our time. Thus we need to be prepared. We recognize that we are sinners and in need of God's mercy. Jesus frees us from the prison of sin and helps us to use this time of Advent to get our house in order and to live in harmony with others. We place ourselves in the shoes of the other person; because by doing so, we can do nothing other than show our compassion for them... This is what Jesus taught and lived... and we are to do the same.


~ Image: John the Baptist Bearing Witness by Annibale Caracci. c. 1600