Second Sunday of Advent

 

Praise be to Jesus Christ.

How was your week?  May the peace of God be with you.  

 

The Church has three main calendars: Gregorian, Lunar, and Liturgical.  There are events and schedules in a calendar.  

 

“All things have their time, and all things under heaven continue during their interval.  A time to be born and a time to die.  A time to plant and a time to pull up what was planted.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1~2) 

 

When your actions are timely then you are wise and results are bountiful.  When you know the proper timing for sowing seeds, fertilizing, and harvesting, then you will be wealthy.  When you prepare for a test and take the test, then you will receive high scores.  I hope that you all will be wise by doing the deeds at the right time.  

 

On the other hand, if you don’t know what and when to do certain deeds or ignore them, then you will be foolish and face the consequences.  When you don’t plant or harvest at the right time, then you will have failed crop.  If you don’t know when the tests are nor prepare properly, then you may receive poor scores.  

 

The calendar articulates the timing of occasions just as the liturgical calendar alerts us religious events.  Our church calendar tells us it is Advent.  Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas.  If you properly plan then it will be wise and bountiful.  

 

Today’s gospel invites us to be ready for Christmas: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Mark 1:2) “Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low.” (Isaiah 40:4)

 

We straighten the path for Jesus by filling the valleys since they symbolize our deficiencies:  

If we don’t smile enough, we fill the smile valley by smiling more.  

If we don’t forgive enough, we fill the forgiveness valley by forgiving more.  

If we don’t pray enough, we fill the prayer valley by praying more.  

If we don’t volunteer enough, we fill the volunteering valley by volunteering more. 

 

In order to straighten the path, we also cut down hills and mountains.  These represent our excessiveness:

If we drink too much, we reduce our consumption and cut down the alcohol mountain.

If we watch TV too much, we reduce watching and cut down the TV mountain.

If we play on computer too much, we reduce our computer time and cut down the computer mountain.

If we gossip too much, we reduce gossiping and cut down the gossip mountain.    

 

Liturgical calendar reveals the timing of religious events.  It is now Advent.  We need to fill the valleys while cutting down the hills and mountains to straighten the path for Jesus.  We must prepare and be ready for the joyous Christmas.  

 

Let us meditate for a moment in silence.