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(8th Dec 2024) Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent

READ: (Bar 5: 1-9; Phil 1:3-6, 8-11; Lk 3: 1-6)

REFLECT: God comes to Comfort His People…

Dear friends, we are in the Second Sunday of Advent. The liturgy of the word invites us to find comfort and consolation in God, because God is the ultimate comfort-giver, which the world can never give. The one who has tasted or experienced the comfort and consolation of God will always find delight in God’s ways, his direction and guidance. Today, everyone needs a comfort and looks for comforts; comfort in sorrow, sickness, depression, inconvenience, worries and anxieties of the world around, family problems, personal problems. We look for comfort from different people, place and at different times, because comfort gives us peace of mind, heart, body and soul.

We have experienced over the years the flood, new variant omicron virus, corona, cyclones, climatic chaos, turmoil, persecutions and sufferings in various ways. Our life is become like a bird flying here and there looking for comfort to be peaceful in life. Somewhat similar is the focal point of the liturgy of the word today, where God assures of the comfort and peace that we will obtain by the coming of Baby Jesus into the world. Therefore, I would like to share with you three points of reflection to understand that how God comforts us in our sorrows and strife.

1.      Remembrance gives comfort

Remembrance offers us comfort by keeping in mind the memories of our dear ones and the moments we cherished with them and felt completely satisfied. It creates an ambience to associate with the past, feel meaningful of the associations, the journey we embarked and lived those moments with joy and happiness. Remembrance also gives us an access, without fail to remember others continuously and constantly. Remembrance gives us sense of happiness or joy, comfort to oneself.  Imagine, if someone remembers you all the time, sending you messages, enquiring about your wellbeing and encouraging you whenever you face ups and downs or obtain success and victory. We feel happy and comforted, saying to ourselves that at least there are some people to remember me or think of me. Something similar we find in the first reading.

The first reading is taken from the book of Baruch. The author very clearly states that Jerusalem is comforted by saying to put off the garment of sorrow and put on the splendor and glory of God, for God will show glory to everyone under heaven.  He even encourages as we read, “Rise up Jerusalem, look towards the east and see your children gathered together from the setting of the sun to its rising. Because God has remembered them. He will bring them back and Israel may advance secure in the Lord, God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company. Yes, God remembers the people of Israel and promises them to give a life of comfort and consolation. So what we fundamentally see is that God does not abandon or forget his people. God continues to remember his people, the promises he made and he accompanies them and assures them of his presence by giving comfort. Today we need to ask ourselves, “Do we remember God who remembers us always? Do we remember people who always think of us, although we seldom think of them? Do we remember people who have nobody to think of or give them a ray of hope and words of comfort?

Most often, we forget or tend to forget others help or support, because we feel the need of others for our use that arises out of selfishness. Let us remind ourselves of the fact today, whether we remember God always or not, God always remembers us, because he loves us. God always stands besides us, because does not want his children to experience desolation and despair. So let us remember that God remembers us always. We need to remember God always and keep him closer to our heart for comfort and consolation, so that we are never left alone or never feel lonely or isolated.

Pope Francis encourages us Christians to find comfort in remembering God’s faithfulness throughout history and in our lives. It helps us to trust in God's ongoing care, love and concern over his people, whom he created us in his own image and likeness. That’s why Pope Francis tells us, “Let us not forget what God has done for us. Remembrance strengthens our faith and comforts us in times of doubt and difficulty.” Yes, at the crucial hours and situations of the people Israel, God remembers them, the chosen ones and grants them salvation. Something, similar we could also experience in our lives, God remembers us whenever we are in sorrow or in suffering. He wishes us to give us release from things we have been chained or captivated. If we listen to God and open our ears and hearts to listen to him and welcome him, there is always salvation possible. But somehow our hard-heartedness and cold-shoulder shuns us from obtaining the grace of God in our lives. Today we need to remember God’s blessings and obtain comfort for ourselves. What we could remember is the gift of his only Son Jesus for our salvation. Let us believe in Jesus who has come to save us, the saviour of us all.

2.      Prayer brings comfort

There is no doubt that prayer brings us comfort in establishing connection with God. Prayer is like a power-house, where everyone wishes to charge would obtain the power. Prayer anchors life deeply giving us hope and confidence, optimism and dynamism in life.  Prayer has the power to calm the mind, nurture the spirit, and foster a sense of inner peace, mostly during challenging hours and tough times in life. It brings us renewal and rejuvenation of life in God. Therefore, we can never underestimate the power of prayer, for prayer works wonders, wonders to the one who really believes it and feels that  he has already in store for it because of the faith he or she has in God. Today we hear many people say or use common phrases saying, “Please pray for us” “your prayer is enough”. Yes, it is because prayer gives peace to the broken hearted; prayer empowers those who are weak; prayer pushes the one to build strong bond with God. That’s what we see in the second reading of the day.

We very beautifully hear from St. Paul’s letter to Philippians, where he prays for his people. St. Paul says, “It is a joy for me to pray for all of you because of your partnership in the proclamation of the Gospel. What God has begun in you has been brought to completion until the coming of Jesus Christ.  So my prayer for you now is to increase the dose of love for one another, discern what is of more value in order to stand before the son of man pure and blameless.” Yes, prayer makes us pure and blameless before God and brings us in close connection or intimacy with God. Today we may not have money to give people but if we could whisper words of prayer or pray for another in need, I am sure the person would obtain comfort or healing. Many are the people experiencing the power of prayer, because prayer pierces the clouds and make the sky pour down heavy rain on everyone, especially those in need. Money may not maintain the long lasting relationship but we are sure that prayer will establish a lasting bond with God and with one another.

Today what slackens or sickens our faith is our negligence to the act of prayer; the disinterested nature or personality to give oneself to God in prayer; sometimes we believe in false comforts and get entangled in comfort-zones of life. That’s what Pope Francis warns against the pursuit of false comforts, such as material wealth, power, or superficial pleasures. We know that Pope Francis criticized consumerism and self-indulgence, urging people to seek deeper, spiritual consolation rather than fleeting worldly pleasures. That’s why Pope Francis has very beautifully pointed out, “Worldly comforts often anesthetize the soul and keep us from recognizing our true needs.” Yes, our hearts and minds have become dull and displeasing, because our heart has been captivated or attracted to the worldly concerns and comforts; we have last zest for God and his house. So today let us keep aside all the worldly comforts or concerns and focus on God, the true wealth and genuine weapon.

3.      Repentance and forgiveness bring comfort

Pope Francis frequently highlights in his homilies or encyclicals that God’s love and mercy are the ultimate sources of comfort for the human heart. Therefore, he has very emphatically said, “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking His mercy.” The words of Pope Francis remind us that God is ever ready and available to comfort us in and through sacrament of reconciliation, which offers forgiveness and establishes personal relationship with God. That’s we see in the Gospel reading of the day. John the Baptist, as a forerunner and heralds of good news comes proclaiming repentance and forgiveness to people to prepare ourselves to welcome baby Jesus.

Both, Jesus and John the Baptist came proclaiming the nearness of God’s kingdom. They both emphasized a clear message that is to repent and believe in the kingdom of God for the release from undue attachments and addictions to healthy and meaningful life in Christ Jesus. Repentance is the conversion of the heart and forgiveness is the healing from hurt who have wounded us or we who have hurt others. Repentance makes us realize that no more repeating of sins or returning to sinful ways and forgiveness does not the count the score of wrongs but loves. So both repentance and forgiveness gives comfort to oneself and others. That’s what we hear in the Gospel reading of the day from the mouth of John the Baptist. He was preparing the people to meet Jesus exhorting people, quoting Isaiah, “every valley shall be exalted and the hill be made low, prepare the way and make straight his paths, the winding roads made straight, rough ways made smooth… so that all shall see the salvation of God.”

Yes repenting for our sins and forgiving ourselves and others of their faults is one way of preparation to obtain comfort and healing to ourselves. This is the prime preparation that we can do to welcome the Lord Jesus in to the world and into our hearts. Just as we level the valley with the mud or some other stuff or break the slopes to make it level, so also we need to level our hearts in purity, weigh our hearts in terms of quality prayer life, widen the horizon of life by the act of forgiveness and break the egos of evil desires, powers and plans in order to welcome Jesus. Such preparation would give us comfort, peace and happiness.

Today we all of us seek for a comfortable place to stay, a comfortable person to accompany, a comfortable time to start any event or work, but do we seek them at a right place, person, and time? A comfortable place to stay is in the heart of Jesus; a comfortable person to accompany us in life is Jesus and a comfortable time is now, the kingdom of God that’s at hand. Yes, Jesus’ heart, Jesus’ accompaniment and Jesus’ message of His kingdom on repentance and forgiveness would definitely bring transformation in life, if we are ready to commit ourselves to the ways of God. The two tools used by John the Baptist in bringing people closer to Jesus were ‘repentance’ and ‘the offer of forgiveness. So let us use these two preparatory steps of repentance and forgiveness to meet the Lord, who is to come to dwell amongst us.

Let us remember the words of Pope Francis as we conclude our reflection, “Forgiveness heals wounds and comforts hearts weighed down by resentment.” So let us remember that God comforts us and so we need to remember him always. Let us pray that we make prayer as part of life and bring comfort to one another; Let us pray that we may use the two preparatory steps to obtain comfort by repentance of our sins and forgiving one another of faults and flaws. May God the giver of comfort give us comfort and consolation as we look towards Jesus the comforter of all. Today, as we light the candle of peace, we pray for peace in families, societies and in oneself.  May the light of Christ bring us peace on earth to humankind. 

RESPOND:

Do we remember God as God remembers us always and gives us comfort?

Do we pray to God to obtain comfort and healing or are we comfortable as we live without hopes and aspiration in life?

Do we make use of the two preparatory steps of repentance and forgiveness to obtain God’s consolation and comfort?

Let us believe in God that remembrance, prayer, repentance and forgiveness gives us always comfort. Amen.

God bless us all… Live Jesus!