Advent 2nd Sunday

John the Baptist

The figure of John the Baptist appears prominently on this second Sunday of Advent. Therefore, we are given several details: the desert land he walked on; his camel-skin clothing with a leather belt around his waist; his meals of locusts and wild honey; his baptismal activity. He was a rare figure, so much so that he attracted attention and many people sought him out. His language is challenging: - Repent – Prepare the way of the Lord – Make straight his paths. He judges the men of his time, the religious Pharisees and Sadducees, calling them "vipers" because their actions did not coincide with the repentance they manifested.

Aware of his mission, he announces the coming of Someone whose sandals he does not even dare to untie, and who will baptize not only with water, but with the Holy Spirit and fire. It is a novelty that will forever change the course of history.

A life and a voice for today

Saint Carlo Acutis said that we are all born originals, but many people die as photocopies. It's worth applying this thought to current times, where originality is lacking and sometimes the models followed seek fame and don't care about their followers. The results are ruinous: soulless people who live without thinking about the fleeting speed of fleeting moments.

Listening to the voice of John the Baptist, who speaks of attitude and profound life change through repentance, who sees the present moment as a preparatory service for something greater, who commits action to the goal of straightening paths, is to accept that the Lord comes to meet us at all times and wants to do a marvelous work through us. The “vipers” are real and await the opportunity to bite and kill with their inconsistent and confused actions.

It is the time of the Holy Spirit and the divine Fire, which fills the person with boundless love that perfects the communion between the human and the divine.

Desert spirituality

In the figure of John the Baptist, several points are touched upon that help Christians to a greater depth of life: – simplicity of life as an authority to speak; – the recognition that the person is a servant of God, sent; – the acceptance of the mission, even in the midst of contradictory and adverse environments; – the certainty of the life of Jesus, the Savior, whose sandals we are not worthy to untie; – openness of heart to receive the baptism of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit, which not only washes away sin but brings forth for the world Children of God, living stones of the Church; – it is the time of repentance and conversion, to straighten the crooked paths of life and allow the Child God to be the light for all dark paths. (Fr. Luís Filipe, CPPS)