John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Advent does not begin with "Good news! We're saved!" The season and and all four Gospels begin with "Repent. Turn away from sin." And that is wonderful news!
It's understood that we live in sin; and that our way of life is neither pleasing to God nor beneficial for human life. The presence of evil in our world is the one hard core reality on which believers and disbelievers must agree. If some people are doing "Just-fine-and-thank-you-for-asking!" the vast majority are not.
But even before we attempt to right the world's injustice, we please the Lord by being holy:
Since I, the LORD, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt that I might be your God, you shall be holy, because I am holy.
If that seems an unrealistic standard and an impossible goal, we have all the more reason to repent, for it is clearly what the LORD demands.
Holiness begins with the realization that
...the LORD, your God, has chosen you from all the peoples on the face of the earth to be a people specially his own.
This can be a bitter pill for adolescents who want nothing more than to be like everyone else in the high school classroom. Children severely punish their non-conformists peers with ostracism, taunting, and contempt. Their targeted cruelty is so severe it may lead to isolation, suicide or mass shooting.
But God's demand are more palatable to the adult who sees clearly where those adolescent standards lead. Adults recognize the vain egotism of proliferating sub-groups of self-identified victims. They see the BS in LGBTQUIA+ and prefer the company of sensible persons. They find them among God's elect.
It was not because you are more numerous than all the peoples that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the smallest of all peoples.
The Lord gives holiness, faith, and membership to his beloved. They welcome these gifts for they have seen the purity, goodness, and worthiness of the Giver.
As Moses explains further in Deuteronomy 7:8,
It was because the LORD loved you and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn to your ancestors, that the LORD brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Remembering our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord creates our traditional seasons of penance like Advent and Lent, and then adds Christmas and Easter to complete our joy. By observing these penitential and festive seasons we find ourselves within the History of Salvation. With its liturgical songs, readings, rites, and decorations, the seasons honor the holiness of God's people.
If Advent is overwhelmed by the insane rush to Christmas -- an urgency that will vanish like a painful memory by December 26 -- we keep it in our homes and churches. Here we remember that we are both a sinful people too much conformed to the nations around us, and God's holy people set apart from them.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.