Second Sunday of Advent - the Sunday of Hope

Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

A voice of one crying out in the desert:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.

Every valley shall be filled

and every mountain and hill shall be made low.

The winding roads shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth,

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

This is the Sunday of Advent, the Sunday we celebrate faith. We talk about faith often but what is it? What is this thing we seem to prize so dearly that that in moments of darkness or confusion, we find ourselves lost. When faith weakens, our hope in the future wobbles and fear wells up in us like an unwanted fog that obscures everything of value. Those of us with a sense of destiny and an urging for eternity chase after a secure faith like dogs chases after rabbits. We fall into a trap of thinking we will catch the rabbit in the next second bit we never quite close the gap.

I worry about my faith. Is my faith strong enough to sustain me? Is it enough to save me? Do I have faith enough to offer a welcoming safe hearth to others? Can I be a safe anchor for my family? Is my faith secure enough to weather the storms of adversity or the antagonistic challenges that rock my days and nights? I don’t know. I have doubt. We all do. We understand how critical faith is to finding joy, meaning and purpose in our lives today which lead to hope for a life eternal so search on with greater fervor.

Listen again to the words of the baptizer handed down to us. Imagine being willing to take up his

mission that was so at odds with the currents of believe in his time. Do I have the faith to preach in a way that reflects my charisms that Advent is not a time of giving or receiving but, rather, it is a time we to turn away from the distractions that do nothing to nourish our faith to turn toward preparing for His coming. I wonder if I can I express my ingrained and profound value of all human life from conception to natural death without worrying about offending others? Can I love others without question or concern about who they are or who they love? Does vaccination status have anything to do with human worth? Why is the discussion even relevant? 

These are questions I ponder today but not just today but every day. I am not alone and that is why we gather often so we can share our doubts and offer each other unending hope that comes from shared concern and love that arises out of the faith of our ancestors. 

I believe the prophet and the good news for today is I can cry out his words in affirmation and be glad I am not and I don’t have to be a voice crying in the wilderness. 

We joyfully acknowledge our faith lives today and it is stronger that yesterday because we have shared it together.