1st reading Isaiah 11:1-10; Ps 71:1-2.7-8.12-13.17, 2nd reading Rom 15:4-9. Gospel
Mt 3:1-12
“The falling drops will at last wear the stone” - Lucretius
PSALM 71
THE FORWARD LOOK
Ageless as a sun or moon he shall endure; /kindly as the rain that drops on the meadow grass, /as the showers that water the earth. / Justice in his days shall thrive, and the blessings of peace; / and may those days last till the moon shines no more. / From sea to sea, from the great river to the ends of the earth, / his sways shall reach…. / he will give the poor redress when they cry to him, / destitute folk, with none to befriend them; / in their need and helpless, they shall have his compassion.
THIS GREAT SONG of longing for truth and justice, called “A psalm of Solomon,” express man’s highest ideals. People of all ages and nations, evil as they can be, have always desired this perfection, this fulfillment of their greatest aspirations. In an earthly sense, little progress has been made toward the goal over centuries. One could not be proved wrong if s/he said that the accomplishment of this end is farther away now than ever, that, if anything, the hope has deteriorated.
But the prophecy has been fulfilled; Christ Jesus “shall endure” and we are sure that “justice in his days shall thrive, and the blessings of peace” and the poorest, the most unjustly treated, the most helpless shall indeed “have his compassion.”Christ has not failed to bring all our hopes to reality; it is we who fail. We do not view our lives as we should; we think of life merely in terms of a few years on earth. It’s like thinking of health only in terms of curing sickness; it is like thinking of an education only in terms of registration day; it is like thinking of an opera only in terms of the first measures of the overture, or like thinking of a football game only in terms of the warm-up. This life is really not life; it is the preparation for life. Until we understand that, we have not understood the universe, we have not human nature, and we have not the slightest notion of God’s plan.
Why do we know little about our resurrection of our bodies, the eternal life for which body and soul are destined? This is the event in which we were created, and to which, according to St. Paul, all creation looks forward. Books ought to be compiled, containing all the beautiful literature of the Church on the resurrection, and all Catholics should read it, and live by it, meditating on it every day! Exaggeration? A simple case of logic.
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand” Matt 3:1-12.
Dear my brothers and sisters in Christ,
For many centuries people have waited for the king to come, the prince of peace who would come to establish his kingdom here on earth and many are still waiting.
It’s quite very crucial especially in countries that are planning and anxiously waiting for general elections. The country I have in mind as I write this reflection is Uganda and I have the people of northern Uganda at heart and of course with other Ugandans at large who are warming up for the next year 2011 general election. This prince of peace has been yearned for, for many years. All Ugandans are keeping their eyes focused in heaven with great hopes for a sign of that peace, the prince of peace. Someone as s/he reads this will try stretch the mind and ask kwani was there no peace in northern Uganda?
Many have interpreted this peace and all its promises in a materialistic way. Even those who were entrusted to bring this peace doubted, got frustrated, water was splashed upon them, thorns pierced them, rainy showered them, mosquitoes bite them, they slept in forests, rocket bombs flew over their heads not counting haw many died and are still dying to date as we celebrate the second Sunday of Advent.
Sometimes people do not want to imagine that those who are speaking of peace talk any more but a quenching of their thirst for peace day and night. People are fed up with meetings in board rooms, conferences they want people who walk the talk. Is there someone out there hearing or reading this reflection then spare a thought for the people of northern Uganda.
We need a spiritual kingdom, Christ the redeemer and prince of peace is calling us to repent, and bring peace in our neighbourhood and in our homes. This message is very clear as we have St. John the Baptist as our teacher with his message being clear and simple “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand”.
The church is calling upon us to repentance, to renewal, and to real conversion. This is a period of deepening God’s grace in us. Let us examine our faith and actions, call it one root of God’s Kingdom- how deep is it? Do you believe it is still God? That he is creator, Saviour and Sanctifier? Do you believe that he exists and will reward all those who seek him? To believe in God is not the same as believing God. Believing him means simply as scenting to what he says. Believing in him means total surrender of oneself to God. Have you surrendered yourself to him?
Another aspect that we need to examine in this second Sunday of advent is love. Do I love God with all my heart? Christ gave us the measure. “He who loves me,” he said, “keeps my commandments”. Love is a noble sentiment which is capable of growing, but it can grow cold and die. It can be superficial or deep. Are you deepening yours? Not only by keeping the commandments, this is the minimum, let it be by good deeds, by practicing virtue.
Think about any given modern state. If you have a good civil service, good judiciary, good security force, Good and good citizens generally speaking, then your nation is strong. God’s kingdom grows by deep by faith, hope and love.
Prayer is another aspect to examine. Do you still pray? The liturgical movement has done all it could to encourage participatory prayer. But there are times when your “Amen” or any other response is so faint that one may wonder whether we are praying! Private prayer has not lost its importance and one wonders whether we are praying. Community and public prayer will be difficult if it is not nourished by private prayer. Do I pray? How often? How well?
The practice of virtue is a necessary condition for deepening God’s kingdom. How do you appreciate virtue? Try to be virtuous in the world today and you will be called a coward! Because you are fair and just to everyone, because you are respectful and obedient, because you love purity and charity, you will be called, over prudent, immature etc. And this is what it must be, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Repent, do good, renew your life, that God’s kingdom (Grace) may come in you.
“Consider the postage stamp; its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there” – Josh Billings
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