The 1st Reading presents a vision of a future which is inspiring and alluring. Firstly, it lists the characteristics of a coming descendant of Jesse. Secondly, it paints a portrait of the reign this future Child will bring. The notion of the wolf living with the lamb, the panther lying down with the kid, the calf and the lion feeding together is reminiscent of a hoped-for future. In fact, a wall across from the United Nations’ building in New York takes its inspiration from another prophecy of Isaiah where a future will come when men beat swords into ploughshares—echo of the 1st Reading from last Sunday.
We are preparing ourselves for this moment to come.
Yet the Gospel provides us with the roadmap to the time when we welcome this great figure who will bring about the change. The spotlight falls on John the Baptist. He comes in the tradition of a great figure in Israel’s collective memory—Prophet Elijah who preached both repentance and reform. Notably he address the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
He did not mince his words by calling them a brood of vipers, warning them of the coming retribution. The Pharisees and the Sadducees did not take that lying down. They fought back which gave an opportunity for John to place himself within the context of salvation. He prepares the people with a baptism of repentance whereas the Christ will baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire. The 2nd Reading gives us the reason for Christ’s coming. He will be a Saviour for all mankind.
What is left for us is to follow John’s prescription so that we can be saved. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, we prepare ourselves through the repentance from sin and through the reform of our lives. Perhaps in light of the invitation to avail oneself of Landings, the programme designed to welcome returning Catholics, we might want to speak of repentance and reform in the context of managing our expectations.
The programme to welcome people home is premised on inviting them to experience God’s love and mercy. God is merciful and He waits for our return.But what do we expect when we return? The experience of the returning Prodigal Son may set up a kind of expectation which for many of us borders on no consequence. God does intend all of us to be saved. But God also must respect our personal decision with its attendant consequences. This is the part which many of us may fail to appreciate.
We have come to believe that when God is merciful, He makes no expectation of us. Let us give an example. Christianity preaches love and forgiveness. Someone comes into the office of the Church and is abusive. When challenged the person says, “Aren’t Christians supposed to be loving and merciful”? At this, I suspect many Christians will immediately try not to offend the person or even try to placate the person.
The truth is God’s consequent will is just and fair because it respects the decision that a person has taken. In other words, there must be accountability.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist excoriated the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hypocrisy even as he preached a baptism of repentance. He did tell those who came seeking for him to behave justly and to be morally upright.
If you look at all the readings in the liturgy especially when they point to afuture reality as depicted by Isaiah, they are actually expressions of God’s antecedent will. He wills us to be saved and He wants us to be saved. But He also respects our decisions which in a way determines His consequent will.
It brings us back to Landings and a need to balance our expectations. God is merciful and He indeed wants His sons and daughters to experience His forgiveness. But God is also just and righteous as He expects His sons and daughters to leave their sins behind. The Prodigal Son who returned, had come to his senses before making the decision to leave behind his life of debauchery to go back to his Father.
Likewise, in this season of waiting and preparing for the Lord’s coming, we are invited to judge our lives, to shine a spotlight on our personal undertakings and to see where changes need to be made so that we can welcome the Lord when He truly comes.
John is truly a voice that cries in the wilderness. It is not easy to repent and reform our lives. Easier to celebrate Christmas NOW rather than to sweep our souls clean as we wait for the coming of the Lord. We all want a better world, the one whose imagery is forged onto the wall outside of the United Nations. It is an outrageous future, a vision which everyone wants it to come true. But that vision where swords are hammered into ploughshares can only collectively take shape when we have individually begun our repentance and our reformation. Thus, to prepare ourselves for Christ coming and for His reign to take shape, we are invited with the help of His grace to become a better version of ourselves.
