Season's Greetings from John the Baptist

Second Sunday of Advent — A

Isaiah 11:1-10 / Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 / Romans 15:4-9 / Matthew 3:1-12

                                                                                                 

Season’s Greetings from John the Baptist

Why is it that we never see John the Baptist on a Christmas card or in a manger scene?  He is after all one of the prominent figures of Advent, along with Isaiah the Prophet and Mary. But I don’t think the greeting card companies will soon be adopting John as one of their holiday images, nor will they use his message inside. Imagine the picture of John in camel’s hair and a leather belt on the cover, a hand full of grasshoppers and honey, sporting a stern look on his face. Inside the greeting reads:

Repent you brood of vipers.

The ax is laid to the root of the tree. 

Every tree that does not bear fruit

will be thrown into the fire. 

Merry Christmas

No, I think we will sooner find Scrooge and “Bah humbug!” than John the Baptist and his prophecy in Christmas Greetings.

But we need John in our Advent if we are to be ready to welcome Christ at Christmas. John is the forerunner, the one who goes before the Messiah to make the rough ways smooth and the crooked ways straight, to merge mountains and valleys into a new geography of salvation and hope. “Repent!” is John’s call. It sounds so out of place in Advent. Can’t we leave that for Lent and do our shopping and party-hopping instead? That all depends.

Advent is the time of anticipation, or preparation, of making things ready - for God! Are we ready for God? Are we bearing the fruit John talks about in today’s gospel? We can’t let ourselves slip into a false sense of security thinking, “I’m a regular church-goer. Of course I’m ready, or I will be in two weeks.” Something more is needed.

John tells the Pharisees they should not rely on their status as sons of Abraham to save them. “God can raise up children to Abraham from these very stones,” the Baptist says. What does he mean by that? Does he mean the rocks on the banks of the River Jordan will come to life and give praise to God? Does he mean the stones in the river bed where he baptizes repentant sinners will rise up and shout God’s praises? 

The miracle John speaks of is much subtler than that. The psalms speak of sinful hearts as hardened and stony. The process of conversion and repentance is one whereby our hearts soften and become hearts of flesh, hearts aflame with love for God and neighbor. 

To be ready for Christmas the hardness of our hearts must give way to the soft, fleshy, human heart that Jesus took as his own in the mystery of Christmas. The work of Advent is to respond to the call of the Baptist. The work of Advent is to allow God to make us his children, brothers and sisters of Jesus the Lord, with hearts of flesh, hearts aflame, hearts of love.

·         When you reflect on the state of your heart, how ready to you believe you are for Christmas?