Renewal through Harmony: 2nd Sunday of Advent
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Second Sunday of Advent
Sermon and Christian Act in The Word
Theme: “A Call to Repentance! Renewal through Harmony”
Point of Reflection: Let us allow the mild light of the advent candle to penetrate our hearts by repenting. Am I ready to repent? Do I recognise my weakness and sins? As Christians, we need to accept our sins and repent, ns so doing we will undergo renewal through harmony. The one to renew us is the Messiah as indicated in the readings of today.
First Reading: Isaiah 11:1–10
Psalm: Psalm 72:1–2, 7–8, 12–13, 17
Second Reading: Romans 15:4–9
Gospel: Matthew 3:1–12
Sermon (Reflection): Building on last Sunday’s message, the liturgy of the Second Sunday of Advent focuses on the theme of renewal, identifying harmony as one of the essential dimensions of God’s renewed creation.
In the first reading of today, we encounter a leader who will act as God’s agent in the world’s transformation. This person will have a very definite origin, thus, he will come from “the stump of Jesse.” Since Jesse was the father of King David, this new leader will originate from his lineage, he will be “the Son of David”. In the biblical language, this leader will be later called “the “Messiah”, which means “the anointed one.” Anointing was a way of designating somebody for a very particular role as a king or a priest, a person with a special mission and purpose. However, this leader will come from the “stump”, that is from a remainder of a fallen tree! Isaiah wanted to emphasise that the traditional Jewish hopes connected with the house of David and its kings should not be uncritically applied to this new promised leader. God’s Messiah will be a leader of new quality and distinctive purpose and he will be a transformer.
Prophet Isaiah is pointing to Christ who will be born on Christmas day and he is a transformer. This implies to us a spirit of renewal. As Christians, we are called to be transformative and we must have a spirit of renewal.
In the second reading, St Paul’s views the Christian community as a community that anticipates and participates in the renewed creation already in the present time, through harmony among its members. For Paul, to be Christian is to be the “new creation” as an individual, and a part of a community in which harmony and peace abide. Such a community reflects God’s original design for humanity. For this reason, concluding his exhortation to the Romans, Paul urges them to pursue harmony and openness to one another which is achieved by hospitality. First as Christians, we must be individuals made of new creation and this implies that we must pursue harmony and openness to one another, this calls for repentance and hospitality in our Christian life.
The first two readings tell of God’s purposes and designs for humanity. But how should people respond to what God had planned and then accomplished through his Messiah? The Gospel of today brings the fierce figure of John the Baptism into view to answer that question. John’s life and ministry fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah (Cf. 40:3). From of old, God destined John to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah. At the same time, John himself is a prophet who resembles Elijah in his style of life (Cf. 2 Kings 1:8). As a prophet, John instructed the people on how to receive and respond to God’s Messiah. His message was concise and clear, thus, producing the good fruit of repentance. As Christians, are we ready to repent? Repentance produces good fruits, as Christians, we are called to repent during this Advent season and produce good fruits
The repentance of John simply meant turning away from sin. Although not explicitly stated, it might be inferred that such repentance produces the good fruit of harmony and reconciliation among the people, and between people and God. The people receiving John’s baptism were doing the right thing. In acknowledging their sinfulness and receiving baptism they were changing their life’s orientation and were choosing a morally good path.
As Christians, we were all baptised and by the virtue of Baptism we are called to always live a morally good life and during this Advent season, we need to repent and focus on the mercy of God by accepting Jesus Christ and living a holy life.
Later parts of the Gospel of Matthew show that the leaders would stubbornly reject Jesus. They refused to accept him, lacking that openness that was required to accept Jesus as God-sent Messiah. In our deeds and words, do we not reject Jesus Christ the Messiah by not repenting?
What is then the right response to God’s Messiah? John implied that baptism of the Spirit is necessary. Producing the good fruit means more than just renouncing sins, it means the baptism of the Spirit by Jesus. Such a baptism means placing oneself under the guidance of the Spirit in order to live and act as Jesus does. The presence and work of the Holy Spirit lead believers into full union and harmony with Jesus.
John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah by bringing people to repentance. This repentance was intended to produce good fruits of forgiveness of sins and restoration of harmony among the people. He also pointed out that the Messiah will “baptize with the Holy Spirit.” This baptism would enable believers to act in harmony with Jesus and follow his teaching. Thus, harmony among believers and union with Jesus constitute the first steps towards renewed creation. Participation in this process is the fruit of true repentance required by John, and, according to Paul, a mark of being an authentic disciple of Jesus, God’s Messiah. The Psalmist anticipated these days of the Messiah when he stated, “in his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more”.
Christian Act in Word of God “Repent and live by the Holy Spirit”
Today, there is much talk among Christians within and outside the Catholic Church about the Holy Spirit, and what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Some emphasize the gifts of the Spirit as speaking in tongues and others as healing and deliverance from evil. Is the Holy Spirit, therefore, only concerned with our spiritual lives? In all parts of the world, many continue to suffer, primarily because political leadership and economic systems benefit a minority at the expense of the majority. Can a “Spirit-filled” Christian confront the injustices of economic and political systems and offer a different system built on justice, the common good, and equality? What does it mean to be a Spirit-filled Christian living in the modern world in the midst of so many challenges? As Christians, there is much to do in combat against the world’s modern challenges of corruption and nepotism.
We need to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and liberate us.
In the readings of today, we encounter the Holy Spirit acting in ways that may seem unfamiliar. We learn a different meaning of what it means to be Spirit-filled, a meaning that may empower us to respond to the injustices in our contemporary world. The Holy Spirit is concerned with creating harmony among people. That means that the work of the Holy Spirit stands against injustice, oppression, inequality, suffering, and poverty that come from ruthless leaders and unjust economic and political systems.
To be filled with the Spirit is to be concerned about all these issues, not just the spiritual life. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit empowers Christians through His gifts to address these issues intelligently and courageously. These gifts are “wisdom, understanding, counsel, and strength”. Thus, with these gifts and knowledge from other disciplines (economics, politics, history, etc.), Christians can challenge existing systems, as well as propose new systems that bring justice for the poor and marginalized. This type of justice, built on the principles of the Gospel, can bring prosperity and harmonious relationships, particularly between rivals, as illustrated through the image of the lamb and lion living peacefully together.
For us Christians, this Sunday calls for varied expressions of true repentance, such as confronting unjust political and economic practices, addressing ruthless leaders, fighting for the poor, promoting peace and reconciliation, sharing one’s resources with those in need, working for harmony in our Church community, and in the Church. This is what it means to be a Spirit-filled Christian who follows the paths of Jesus in our world. It may seem overwhelming and frightening to even talk about political and economic issues, but we are not alone, the Spirit is with us, and we are with one another.
Action: I will accept my sins and repent. I open my heart to receive the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Almighty Father, today, we open our hearts for repentance, we accept all our sins and ask for forgiveness by repenting. We ask you through Your Son Jesus Christ to send us the Holy Spirit to guide us during this repentance period so that on Christmas day we may receive your Son with pure hearts, Amen
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