2nd Sunday of Advent, Year B — December 6th, 2020

“Comfort, give comfort to my people!” This beautiful exhortation, opening this Sunday’s First Reading, really encapsulates the Church’s “mood” during Advent. Though in the midst of a penitential season, she urges her children to rejoice in the consolation that God has brought us through the Incarnation of His Son and will bring to fulfillment in the Second Coming of Christ. Our whole life as Christians could be described as “already, but not yet” – of rejoicing in salvation already wrought, while still looking expectantly for its completion. And while sorrow is an inescapable reality in this life, the comfort that God so joyously proclaims through Isaiah truly does penetrate even the darkest hour. No matter what is happening at any given moment, we can take comfort in knowing that the Incarnation and Redemption are God’s ultimate promise that He will always triumph!

One Sister brought out another interesting passage towards the end of the First Reading. The Lord is described as “com[ing] … with power” and “rul[ing] by His strong arm,” but what is He doing with that “strong arm”? Carrying lambs! What a beautiful image of God’s infinite power but also His infinite tenderness with us! Another Sister was particularly struck by how the Lord is specifically described as taking care of the ewes, especially those that are with young. She saw in this an apt image for spiritual motherhood: all women, particularly women religious, are called to be mothers of souls, but always with the support of the Lord Who knows that it is only with His special help that we can fulfill such a lofty vocation.

The Second Reading also came into our discussion – specifically, the verse about how “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a single day.” One Sister pointed out that commentators nearly always focus on the second half of the verse, usually to explain why God seems to take a very long time in fulfilling His promises. However, Sister drew our attention to the first half of the sentence, suggesting that it is a reminder of how every moment is precious and important in God’s plan. We may consider a “single day” insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but in His eternal sight it is worth every bit as much as a “thousand years.” Salvation history and each of our personal journeys bear out the truth of this assertion. Sometimes it truly seems as if He is trying to fit a thousand years’ worth of grace into a single day! Sister concluded that this, then, is a call to live with greater fidelity the grace of the present moment, to appreciate the now as much as our God does, so that we can see and respond to His work in our daily lives.

Finally, we spent some time with the Gospel, exploring the enigmatic figure of St. John the Baptist. The Precursor, with his intense asceticism and passionate calls to repentance, can sometimes seem unapproachable. But today’s passage from the Gospel of Mark invites us to see beyond this forbidding exterior to a far more important aspect of John’s character: his humility and single-minded devotion to Christ. It is very telling that the only words of the Baptist that St. Mark records are a profession of this central attitude: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His sandals. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” This is a powerful example for us as Christians to follow! We can take St. John for a special patron during this time of Advent, asking him to intercede for us that the “mountains” of our pride and “valleys” of our failings give way to a “straight path” for the Lord to enter our hearts!“Comfort, give comfort to my people!” This beautiful exhortation, opening this Sunday’s First Reading, really encapsulates the Church’s “mood” during Advent. Though in the midst of a penitential season, she urges her children to rejoice in the consolation that God has brought us through the Incarnation of His Son and will bring to fulfillment in the Second Coming of Christ. Our whole life as Christians could be described as “already, but not yet” – of rejoicing in salvation already wrought, while still looking expectantly for its completion. And while sorrow is an inescapable reality in this life, the comfort that God so joyously proclaims through Isaiah truly does penetrate even the darkest hour. No matter what is happening at any given moment, we can take comfort in knowing that the Incarnation and Redemption are God’s ultimate promise that He will always triumph!