Fr. Charlie’s Homily – 2nd Sunday of Advent (Vigil) – December 3, 2022 430pm
John the Baptist is certainly an interesting person. When I went to the Holy Land, they took us down to the Dead Sea which is about 1400-1500 feet below sea level, and that’s why all the water draining into the Dead Sea – the only way it can get out is by evaporation. So, the salt is such that if you come out of the water, you gotta go take a shower to get all the salt off; but you can actually read a book in water that deep (gestures about 15 inches) and lay on your back and not touch the ground.
So, here they found and discovered this Essene community. It was an austere group, that lived – so Jerusalem is 25 miles up, and here they are down there, they had pools for bathing in and cleanliness; the forgiving of sins; and many speculate this is where John the Baptist came from.
And, he’s going after the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Those who think they are carrying out God’s law. They’re being faithful. So, the Pharisees – we live the law; the Sadducees – we work in the Temple, we’re the ones who perfect the sacrifice at the Temple, carry out the priestly cult. And he’s calling them a ‘brood of vipers.’ That they are in their external form, carrying out the requirements of the law, but, their heart is far from their God.
And so that’s the challenge. When we prepare the way of the Lord…it seems like Jesus, now remember, he’s been on this earth 30 years before he sees John the Baptist. And going into the waters, he is baptized by John and Mark’s gospel is the earliest so Jesus is the only one aware of the vision. In the others John the Baptist is, too. But the earliest gospel it’s Jesus. ‘You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.’ Here is the moment of transition for Jesus as he begins his public life. He has this deeper vision. So, it’s not just in carrying out the obligations of the law, but by spirit and fire.
It should be mindful to us of our own baptism. That we are different now because of our baptism. And we are living in the last times. In which this is the whole point. You can’t think of time on the other side of death in eternity, it’s now that we are working out whether we’re of God’s kingdom because we’re sharing in this eucharist, where this is the heavenly banquet, calling us into this deep communion with our God who is love. And so each day indicates to us whether we are of Christ’s discipleship or not. That is this love we live in, not only our desire, our love for the Father, but also for those in the world around us.
So, the kingdom is at hand. It’s already here. And it’s up to us to be children of that kingdom. The intimacy is such – it’s in Colossians, I think, 1:24, that our sufferings make up the sufferings of Christ. How can we say that? But we are, through this eucharist, entering into that Good Friday moment where we become so much one that it is through our struggles, through our suffering, that that redemptive action takes place, and God himself, in allowing that Spirit, given to us in baptism, to flourish.
And that’s the challenge in this Advent time when there’s just so much going on that the idea of each day getting darker, and darker, and darker, should at least at home and in the quiet a little bit more, so that we can focus…I say, if you look at the sky during the day, you wouldn’t know the stars are out there. It’s at night when you can see that mystery of the light of the stars in the sky.
And I think that’s the same thing with Advent. That we have the candles, so that as each day gets shorter and darker, we light more and more candles. But it’s the focus on Christ the Light who came to reveal to us the Father. And in doing so we, by virtue of our baptism, are already there. It’s just how deep do you want to enter into that relationship of love that you have with your God.
So, it’s a good time in preparing. We get so anxious in doing so much during the Advent Season, then when Christmas comes along, it’s like…OK it’s over. No, this is the moment we live each day of our lives, where the Word becomes flesh in us, and if he is truly flesh in us, then we will be bringers of the…heralds of that good news that Jesus is present; Jesus is among us to reveal us, to us the way back to the Father.