The first Sunday of Advent, the call of the liturgy was to stay awake and to wait for the Lord with hope. On the second Sunday, the call is to PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD: to make straight his ways (taken from Isaiah), to create a path for Jesus to enter our world and to remove the obstacles we place, both as a community and as individuals, to his coming into our lives and our world.
by Fr Anthony Clifford Lobo SDB
Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent – 05 December 2021
Every Sunday of Advent, the liturgy presents us with a specific theme to meditate and reflect on for our preparation to receive the baby child Jesus. The first Sunday of Advent, the call of the liturgy was to stay awake and to wait for the Lord with hope. On the second Sunday, the call is to PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD: to make straight his ways (taken from Isaiah), to create a path for Jesus to enter our world and to remove the obstacles we place, both as a community and as individuals, to his coming into our lives and our world.
In presenting this theme, to ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’, Luke, our evangelist, whom we read for this year C of the liturgical year, presents us with two frameworks; one of power/authority, and another, the exact opposite, a framework of repentance and forgiveness where we can see the salvation of God.
Luke opens the gospel narrative with a precise historical framework that reviews some of the very important political/religious people of the time. The gospel begins with emperor Tiberius Caesar, who is obviously the most important man in the world. The gospel says he is in the fifteenth year of his reign, therefore well established in authority and power. The framework of power then narrows down to the local authorities, perhaps unknown in other parts of the world but very important to the region where Jesus will be born. We have Pontius Pilate, (governor of Judea) who is the right hand of the Emperor in Judea. We then have other rulers and kings (like Herod; Philip, Lysanias) who are a bit of string-puppets of the central power, firmly in the hands of the Romans. And finally, a reference to the local religion, with the high priests Anna and Caiaphas, to whom the cult of the Temple of Jerusalem refers. In fact, in this historical list, the placement at the end of the high priests makes us understand that their importance is just a facade, nothing compared to the power governed by Tiberius Caesar. Now, interestingly, these same names appear once again at the trial of Jesus–the ones who literally hinder and destroy the way of salvation.
Luke the Evangelist gives us this framework of power and authority, substantially for two reasons: the first is to give historical consistency to his narration, so as not to risk the story of Jesus being only a sort of timeless fable, exemplary, but fake. But perhaps the second reason is more stimulating for us today: with all the historical existing power of the time that was important both civilly and religiously, where does God choose to make himself heard? As the gospel tells us, "The word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert ..."
As, also in the initial part of the Gospel, the evangelist says that God manifests himself to a young woman living in the unknown town of Nazareth. Here again, he clarifies that the roads chosen by God to reach history are the most unexpected and hidden.
We live in London, one of the best cosmopolitan cities in the world. It thrives on celebrity culture, modern-mega infrastructures, importance for social and economic development, modern roads, bridges, trains, and airports, all of which are crucial for promoting the mobility of people, commercial and cultural exchange. London is also a smart city, where communication infrastructures such as the internet (5g) are at super high speed. The Roman empire was the same at the time of the birth of Jesus. It makes us wonder that, God, had at his disposal all the "historical modern infrastructures" of the time to get to the center of history with the Messiah-the anointed one, but first chooses an unknown young woman, Mary from a peripheral city (not a metropolitan one) and then a man, John the Baptist, to prepare the way, who preaches in the desert.
For many of us, this narrative could make sense. When we assist the significant world events, both at the political, entertainment and cultural levels, we feel insignificant. As much as we try to do, we know ours is always a minor story compared to the prominent characters of people presented in history. We think that for God our path is unimportant and that perhaps he should make sensational and grandiose gestures by choosing the great and powerful to change everything and make his Kingdom reign. But the Gospel shows us that God precisely chooses not the modern highways, bridges, or palaces, but the lesser travelled roads, the smaller ones, the less visible places to enter history. God takes longer and more winding paths to descend into human history, just as he did with Mary, John the Baptist, the fishermen of Galilee, the poor, sinners and even strangers and pagans.
To our children present here and thank you very much to the parents for getting/accompanying your children every Sunday to mass. Here’s something that could relate to them with today’s gospel narrative. I've always been curious about movies, especially interested in how they create characters, very often that resonate with biblical images and themes. In the musical version of 'The Lion King', the two stunning songs, ‘Circle of life’ and ‘Be Prepared’, composed by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice depict the image of the leitmotif ‘Preparing the Way’ (circle of life – Rafiki – John the Baptist), and to be cautious ‘Be Prepared’ (Scar – Tiberius Caesar – Pontius Pilate - Herod), against the evil. Simba, the young cub, has a lot of apparent parallels with Jesus, and his father Mufasa to God the Father in the Bible, and Scar to Satan. Rafiki (the wise monkey) is like John the Baptist, who is preparing the way to present Simba to the pride. Rafiki then baptizes Simba in a traditional African spiritual ritual as a baby, and proudly shows him to the entire animal kingdom – the world. This is essentially the role John the Baptist plays in the story of Jesus's life. In preparing the way, making his paths straight, He baptizes Jesus, teaches him, and tells others to believe and follow him. Simba, then in his smallness, believes and sees the Lion in him. Most importantly, the whole musical is assembled around the theme of ‘Hope and Faith’.
It is God who chooses to lower mountains and fill voids to reach humankind, to reach me, to reach humanity "through me". The evangelist Luke looking at the story of John sees all this coming true and wants to give hope to those who listen to his story. God comes to me, too. He goes through the smallness of my personal history, even if I am not a historically important person, even if mine is a road full of holes, obstacles, and crooked ways. "Every man will see God's salvation!" as Isaiah says.
Thus, as today, John the Baptist invites the people to straighten the pathways of their lives to prepare the way of the Lord, it is an invitation for us to reflect on how much time am I prepared to spend in the wilderness-spiritually to prepare myself for the coming of Baby Jesus into my life.
May the Name of Jesus be always HOLY and BLESSED
Happy Second Sunday of Advent
Bidding Prayers
CELEBRANT
The voice of the one crying in the desert promises that all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Let us lift up our voices in prayer for all those in need.
READER:
For all the Church, gathering her children from east and west, as we wait in joyful hope the coming of the Lord.
R/. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all world leaders, that they may remove all obstacles on the path to justice and peace. R/. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all ministers of the Word; for readers, preachers, singers of the psalms and those who choose music in our Liturgy. R/. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For our Young Parishioners who will be confirmed next weekend, that the Holy Spirit will prompt them to Listen to the voice of the Lord calling to them. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer…
For those who are sick and for those who love and care for them:
R/. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For those who have died who have died recently, for all whose anniversaries occur around this time R/. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all who have asked for our prayers: R/. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
That God will grant the prayers we now make in the silence of our hearts: (PAUSE) We pray to the Lord.
CELEBRANT
God of Salvation, you straighten the winding ways of our lives and smooth the paths made rough by sin. Help us to walk always in your light and bring to perfection the good you have begun in us. We ask this through Him, whose Day draws near, your Son, our Lord Jesus