OMELIE / Omelie EN

2/12/2011

II Advent 4/12/2011

04/12/2011 – 2nd Sunday in Advent Season - Year B

1Reading Is 40,1-5.9-11 Psalm 84 2Reading 2Pt 3,8-14 Gospel Mk 1,1-8

St. Peter speaks to us about the coming of the Lord. That day shall see the distruction of all our securities:”the sky will vanish” and “the earth and all that is contains will be burnt up”. It is a day that will come when the Lord shall want: he is still awaiting thanks to his goodness, to give us time, because he wants us to be ready, and therefore that we can repent. The signs of the possibility of this day continue to be seen and felt; every now and then we experience terrific events that make us remember this warning. The apostle does not want to scare us, but wants to give us a reason why we are to continue our commitment to lead a good and holy life. We know that these events will happen, and therefore we commit ourselves in holiness. We know that these things will happen, and therefore we commit ourselves “to live holy and saintly lives and prayer”. When his day shall come, God needs to find us “without spot or stain and at peace”.

The commitment of the believer to lead a holy life is the exhortation of the prophet Isaiah to “prepare the way of the Lord”. He truly comes, carring the reward for all those who wait for him. He comes as a shepherd who cares for his sheep, he come to make men rejoice for the fact that they are forgiven from their sins. When shall he come? And how shall he come?

“The coming” of judgement and of God’s salvation is a real fact. Of this, John speaks when he baptizes in the desert. John helps us still to prepare ourselves to welcome the Savior who is coming. He helps us to live a strong and serious Advent. During these coming weeks we place ourselves ready to start again the way of faith, and we start it with “a conversion for the forgiveness of sins”. Conversion means to replace our thoughts and our desires with those of God. Our thoughts and desires which are towards things that pass, bring us away from the heart of God, who is only love. We need to welcome the thoughts and desires of God, of the Father: it means that we start to behave like obedient children. Alone we wont succeed, because we necessitate in us a new spirit. This shall happen when the Son is with us, who carried within himself the Spirit of God. He shall give him to us, shall clothe us and fill us with him. John the Baptist wants us to be aware of our sinful being, away from the heart of God, and with humility we accept the help to welcome the one who is to come. “Do your best” says st. Paul, “so that he (God) will find you at peace, without spot or stain”.

To confess our sins and to obtain forgive is what should occupy our minds in these weeks before Christmas. Where are we to welcome the Lord who is to come? In a selfish heart? In a house full of sins? No, we prepare a worthy place for him. First of all we see if we need to ask him forgiveness: disobbidience to his Word, selfish behavior, actions, words and thoughts of which he doesnt share. We are not to ask him forgiveness only for what our conscience tells us, but for that which he could also tell us. We ask him to forgive us from the depth of our heart, but, so that it is true and fruitfull, we ask him by going to one of his ministers. The people were confessing their sins to John, we confess them for our conversion, to those whom Jesus himself gave power to pass on his forgiveness. Let us see that our confession of sins wont be only telling what we did with the desire of forgiveness, but desiring the power to change. Jesus came to immerse us in the Holy Spirit, to fill us with his Spirit. We free our heart from our sin to welcome the newness of life he want to give us.

The coming of “the day of the Lord” wont scare us, but fill us with joy! If we are ready, with a heart free of evil, it will be the reason for our consolation and that of all those who suffer and cry.