2nd Sunday of Advent (Fr. Vinner)

ADVENT IS A SEASON OF PROMISE AS WELL AS OF PREPARATION

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Season of Promise:

Advent is the season that symbolizes the thousand years of the waiting of the Israelites for the Messiah. In 2 Sam 7: 12 -16 we read about God promising to David that a descendent of him would establish an everlasting kingdom. From this text, there arose the concept of Messiah – a king who would establish a kingdom in which justice and love will flow like honey, righteousness will be everywhere, and all will enjoy peace. However this promise of God to send the Messiah was not taken seriously by the Israelites initially. It was only during the time of Babylonian captivity in which the Israelites suffered a lot and from which people did not see any sign of coming out, this concept of Messiah was reinforced. The prophets, inspired by Yahweh, constantly told the Israelites that they need not lose heart and hope about securing freedom, and that God would send the Messiah who would redeem them from their slavery.

Here a word about prophets is to be said. Biblical scholarship divides prophets into three categories: Pre-exilic, exilic and post-exilic. Before the time of Babylonian captivity, the Israelites indulged in all sorts of moral, social and religious aberrations. At this time, there arose a few prophets who warned people of their wrong and infidel ways. They warned that if people continued their wrong ways of living, they would be handed over to their enemies as slaves. They are called pre-exilic prophets. Without heeding to their warnings and advices, people continued to remain in sin and consequently they landed up in Babylonian slavery. It was during this time there arose a group of prophets, known as exilic prophets, who gave the enslaved Israelites the words of consolation and comfort. Post-exilic prophets gave the Israelites hope of release and the rebuilding of the temple, which had been ravaged during the invasion by the Babylonians. Most of the promises about the future Messiah are found in the books of the exilic and post-exilic prophets. Today’s first reading is taken from the book of Baruch which belongs to exilic period. This expectation of the Israelites got fulfilled in the person of Jesus, who came after 1000 years of the time of promise.

The promise, given through Baruch, is of threefold: a). the slavery would be destroyed (“Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God,” “God will bring them back to you, carried in glory, as on a royal throne.”) (b). Jerusalem would get a new name, namely new identity (“God will give you evermore the name, “Righteous Peace, Godly Glory”), and (c). Inequality would be destroyed (“God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground”). These three promises were fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Jesus destroyed the slavery of the Satan. The era of New Jerusalem, namely the Church, was inaugurated by him. The gap between the gentiles and the Jews, the pure and the impure was destroyed on the cross (Eph 2: 13 – 16)

Season of Preparation:

Like the Israelites, we may not be under political slavery now. However we suffer from a type of slavery that is both internal and external. Outwardly, we are slaves to money, comfort-seeking life, casteism, gossip etc.. Internally we are slaves to some of our habits and thought-patterns. To a great extent, we are all slaves of our past. Today’s psychology talks about ‘core-belief system’ (John Bradshaw), Script (Eric Berne) which are different words used by the psychologists to that which that controls us, enslaves us and restricts our inner freedom.

Such a slavish way of life leads to the loss of our real and true identity as humans. Moreover these two types of internal and external slaveries become a cause of unequal way of living. Being slaves to our internal compulsions, all though our life, we work hard to prove that we are better than others and that we are superior to others. If we don’t free ourselves from the clutches of these, our life would not be a transformed life. It is because that we are slaves to our own past, our perception of life is negative.

The same promises, given to the Israelites, are also given to us today: a) the slavery would be destroyed, (b) we would get a new name, namely new identity and (c) Inequality would be destroyed. That is what St. John the Baptist prophesized. However in order to convert the promises of God into actual reality, our co-operation is of utmost important. We need to prepare ourselves.

St. Paul, in today’s second reading, proposes a concrete way of preparing ourselves so that the above promises of God get fulfilled in our lives. He invites us to choose the best each moment. “This is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best.” There is always choice in front of us – either to be mediocre or to be at our best. First of all, there is freedom to choose the type of activities that are beneficial, life-giving and dignity-promoting. Secondly even with regard to the persons and activities over which we do not have much of choice (e.g. job, neighbours etc.) still we can resolve to have a better attitude, a better response, a better involvement etc.. St. Paul’s injunction “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4: 8) is very helpful.

When we choose what is the best each moment, we begin (i) to free ourselves from all sorts of slaveries – both internal and external, (ii) to shape our real identity, and (iii) to get connected more to fellow human beings, God and the nature. It destroys all sorts of inequalities.

May God Bless us.

FR. S.Vinner HGN