Second Sunday of Advent

12-09-2018Weekly Reflection©2018 Liturgical Publications, Inc.

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar...and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee...and Lysanias was tetrach of..." Did you need to pinch yourself awake during the first few lines of this Sunday's Gospel? John the Baptist received quite a prelude today as Luke described the religious and political leadership of the time period. Scripture is divinely inspired, and we believe that everything that made it into the Bible is there for a reason. These lines remind us of an important truth. The Christmas story isn't a fairy tale or nursery rhyme. It's not a parable we say to give meaning to the holiday. At Christmas, God's presence is made tangible in a precise moment in time. The birth of Christ is a historical event. As precursor to Jesus' preaching, the ministry of John the Baptist is also a historical event.

"Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." John's call to repentance and the forgiveness of sins happened in a particular time and place. But that does not mean it is limited to first century Palestine! God continues to move in our daily lives. What we hear in today's Gospel - and what we anticipate at Christmas - occurs in our daily lives. God works in concrete ways in time and space. He did that 2,000 years ago, and He continues to do so today!

This Sunday, examine your own Christmas preparations. Is there anything you need to repent of before the Christmas season? Are there low points in your life, valleys to "be filled" by the love of God? Are their mountainous obstacles in your spiritual life? How can they be "made low"? Are you making decisions that have moved you away from God? This Advent season is the time for them to "be made straight and ? made smooth." Prepare the way in your heart for Christ today!

Segunda Semana de Adviento

"En el año quince del reinado de Tiberio César... y Herodes era tetrarca de Galilea... y Lysanias era norma de..." ¿Es necesario pellizcarse despierto durante las primeras líneas del Evangelio de este domingo? Juan el Bautista recibió un preludio hoy como Lucas describen el liderazgo religioso y político de la época. La escritura es inspirada divinamente, y creemos que todo lo que hizo en la Biblia está ahí por una razón. Estas líneas nos recuerdan una verdad importante. La historia de la Navidad no es un cuento o una rima. No es una parábola que decimos dar sentido a la fiesta. En Navidad, la presencia de Dios se hace tangible en un momento preciso en el tiempo. El nacimiento de Cristo es un acontecimiento histórico. Como precursor a la predicación de Jesús, el Ministerio de Juan el Bautista es también un acontecimiento histórico.

"Preparar el camino del Señor, enderezad sus sendas." Llamada de John al arrepentimiento y el perdón de los pecados ocurrió en un lugar y momento determinado. Pero eso no significa que se limita a la Palestina del primer siglo! Dios continúa moviéndose en la vida cotidiana. Lo que escuchamos en el Evangelio de hoy - y lo que anticipamos en Navidad - ocurre en nuestra vida cotidiana. Dios trabaja de maneras concretas en tiempo y espacio. Hizo hace 2.000 años, y continúa a hacerlo hoy!