Advent: A Season of Readiness

12-07-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

On this Second Sunday of Advent, we continue to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. We are told to " Prepare the way of the Lord and to make His Paths straight". Last Sunday we learned that Advent serves the purpose of preparing us for the coming of the Lord as the Judge, either at death or at the end of this world, whichever may come first. It also taught us to prepare ourselves to receive the Real Physical Presence of our Redeemer through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. And it taught us to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christmas, the birthday anniversary of the Lord's coming into this world as God incarnate.

Today's Reading from the Gospel of Matthew began by telling us that Saint John the Baptist proclaimed a baptism of repentance in the wilderness of Judea. in the desert of Judea, there is a steep slope that falls from the central ridge of the country to the valley of the Jordan and the Dead Sea. John's message was one of repentance in preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven that was at hand. it is the same message that Jesus proclaimed when He began His ministry in Galilee. "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven has come near."

When Isaiah said, 'The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them". He was providing a picture of a Messianic era when paradise would be restored. This era, partially fulfilled through Jesus Christ, is approaching its final day when the coming of Christ shall be upon us.

John the Baptist in the Gospel calls us to a spiritual readiness- an interior preparation that allows us to receive Christ with open hearts. The image of crooked paths made straight and the valleys filled reminds us that Advent is a time of transformation. The repentance John calls for is not simply about acknowledging our sins but about transforming our hearts, our attitudes and our lives so that they are aligned with God's will. John the Baptist's cry to prepare the way can be seen as a call for each of us to ask: what in my life needs to be transformed so that I can more fully encounter Jesus? What are the "rough" areas, the "mountains" of pride, the "valleys" of despair, that need the touch of God's grace?

As we enter into the second week of Advent, we are reminded that this season is not just a time to reflect on the past but to anticipate what God is going to do in our lives. it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the world, the planning and the celebrations. But Advent calls us to slow down, and to inward and prepare a place in our hearts for the Christ who comes.