Let us ask Jesus to prepare us more deeply for his coming, and to pour out his Spirit upon us.
On this Second Sunday of Advent, we prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ in our communities and in the world. As baptized Christians, we are called to be people filled with the Spirit of Christ. The Savior was announced by the prophets Isaiah and John the Baptist as a man filled with the Spirit of God. He would baptize us with the Spirit of fire. John tells us in this Sunday’s Gospel reading: Let this Spirit of fire change your mindset, your attitudes, your ways, so that Jesus can truly live among us and make this world a place of unity and integrity, of justice and peace.
On the other hand, as you know, John the Baptist did not go to towns and villages to preach (as his cousin would later do). John preached in the desert, and people came to him. He had a specific message: Repent! Change your way of life! Prepare the way for the Lord!
Dear brothers and sisters, in the fast-paced world we live in, it is difficult to pause and reflect. It is important and very necessary that we retreat to the desert periodically. Once in the “desert,” we must listen to the prophetic voice that emerges from within us, asking us to change our ways.
We need to take time to reflect: Has Jesus Christ come, or is He yet to come? For many, He has not yet come because most of the world does not follow Him. Even among us, many do not live the way He taught us. The world He wanted us to build remains a dream of the future, not the reality of the present. Therefore, as Christians who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ, what are we going to do about it? We cannot control others’ lives, nor can we make them change, but we have the responsibility to change ourselves, and as we do, our world will change.
Advent is that time of year when we should retreat to the desert and discern with John the Baptist. Let us ask Jesus to prepare us more deeply for his coming and to pour out his Spirit upon us. I invite us all to identify at least three areas in our lives where we need to make definitive changes to become better. And in prayer, let us consider what we must do to effect that change.
May the Lord always give you his peace.
Fr. Lalo Jara, OFM
Pastor, Mission San Luis Rey Parish
Sign up for free class
It’s easy and free!
