My brothers and sisters, we have arrived at the Second Sunday of Advent. The candles are burning, the purple vestments are out, and the worl...
My brothers and sisters, we have arrived at the Second Sunday of Advent. The candles are burning, the purple vestments are out, and the world outside is rushing to buy gifts and decorate trees. But the Word of God today drags us away from the shopping malls and drops us into the Judean wilderness.
We are not met today by a baby in a manger. We are met by a wild man in camel’s hair. We are met by John the Baptist. And he does not offer us a candy cane; he points us toward an axe.
If we look closely at our readings, specifically Isaiah and Matthew, we see a story told through three words. Three words that define the spiritual work we must do this week.
The first word is ROOT.
In Isaiah, we hear of a "shoot claiming up from the stump of Jesse." A stump represents something that was once great but has been cut down. It looks dead. It looks finished. But God says, "From this dead root, I will bring a King." That is the hope of Jesus.
But turn the page to the Gospel of Matthew, and John the Baptist warns us: "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees."
Here is the challenging truth we must face today: Advent is not just about decorating a tree in your living room; it is about examining the roots of the tree in your heart. John warns the religious leaders—and he warns us—that we cannot rely on our history. You cannot say, "I am a Catholic, my parents were Catholic, I come to Mass," and expect that to be enough.
John asks: Is your root producing fruit? Or is it producing wood for the fire? If there is bitterness, unforgiveness, greed, or apathy at the root of your life, the axe is waiting. Not to destroy you, but to cut away the rot so that something new can grow.
This brings us to our second word: REPENTANCE.
John’s cry is famous: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
We often mistake repentance for a feeling. We think it means feeling bad about getting caught, or feeling a little guilty that we aren’t perfect. But the Greek word John uses is metanoia. It doesn’t mean "feel bad." It means "change your mind." It means a total change of direction.
John shouts at the Pharisees: "Bear fruit worthy of repentance!"
This is a confrontation. It asks us: Does your life look different because you are a Christian? If you were put on trial for being a follower of Jesus, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
We live in a world that tells us, "You are perfect just the way you are." The Gospel challenges that lie. The Gospel says, "You are loved just the way you are, but you are too broken to stay that way."
To prepare for Christmas without repentance is like setting a banquet table on top of a pile of garbage. You can cover it with a nice tablecloth, but eventually, the smell will come through. Advent is the time to take out the trash. It is the time to go to Confession. It is the time to stop making excuses for the sins we have petted and fed for years.
Why do we do this? Why the axe? Why the hard road of repentance?
Because of the third word: RESTORATION.
If we let the axe do its work, and if we walk the road of repentance, we arrive at the vision Isaiah saw. The wolf lies down with the lamb. The calf and the lion browse together. In Romans, Paul describes it as Jews and Gentiles—historic enemies—glorifying God with one voice.
This is the promise of the Christ Child. He does not come just to get us into heaven; He comes to get heaven into us. He comes to restore the broken harmony of the world.
But listen closely: We cannot have the Peaceable Kingdom of Isaiah without the Wilderness of Matthew. We want the lion to lie down with the lamb, but we refuse to let the lion of our own pride lie down before the Lord.
So, here is your invitation for this week.
Don't just open a calendar door. Open the door of your heart to the axe of the Holy Spirit. Ask God, "What root in me is rotten? What habit, what relationship, what attitude needs to be cut down?"
Do not be afraid of the axe. It is in the hands of a loving Gardener. He only cuts to heal. He only prunes to make you fruitful.
Let us prepare the way of the Lord. Let us bear good fruit. So that when He comes, He finds not a dead stump, but a living, blooming tree of righteousness.
No comments