Second Sunday in Advent |
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| .Background | ||
| There was conflict between the followers of John the Baptist and the followers of Jesus in the days of the early Church. The Baptist's people claimed superiority because Jesus had once been a disciple of the Baptist and had been baptized by him. The Jesus people responded with stories in which John was presented as preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. The debate no longer concerns us today. But we do see that, whether intentionally or not, John did clear the way for Jesus because he preached a decisive change in history. He was the most powerful of all the apocalyptic preachers at a time when everyone was expecting change. The change which came with Jesus was not one that people expected, probably not the one John expected. But his warning that it was a time for "metanoia," a word meaning "total transformation" was valid for his day. | _ |
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.And for ours. We are called upon during advent and indeed
through our whole lives to transform ourselves, to break out of our old habits and being
life again as a new person. We may not be able to do it perfectly. We will make mistakes
and fall back into old ways, but it is enough to respond continually to the invitation. Story Once there was a man who was a bit of a bum.
Talented and successful, he neglected his wife and his children, his work and his friends,
his community and his colleagues. He drank too much, lost his temper too often, was cruel
too many times. Than one day he had a tremendous religious experience and was transformed
totally. He became a good and loving husband, a generous and sympathetic father, a
diligent and creative worker, a loyal friend, a dedicated member of his community. He was
sober and kind and patient and gentle. At first everyone rejoiced in the change. They said
that they had known all along that he was a good man. Then they realized that the change
was for real and that, to continue their relationships with him, they would have to change
too. He lost his wife and his family and his job and his friends. He went back to being a
bum and got everything back. Then he had another religious experience and once more became
a new man. What do you think happened after that?
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