2nd Sunday of Advent Cycle A

Mass Readings from December 8, 2019:
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1-12
                                                           “Prepare the way of the Lord”
 
On this second Sunday of Advent the Mass readings encourages us to live justly as we wait for the coming of the Just King, Jesus Christ.
What is justice? Justice is about giving what is owed.  For example, since God is our creator we owed our Lord worship, thus we are obligated to come to Sunday Mass as well as on holy days of obligation. We also owed God obedience by observing his commandments.  Moreover, we are to remain faithful to our baptismal promises by doing our best not to give into sin.  Regarding justice to our neighbor we are required to fulfill our contracts, fulfill our obligations, and keep our promises especially one’s marriage vows by being faithful unto death.  Furthermore, we are required to respect the rights of others.  We also owed something to our self. We are to respect ourselves by not putting ourselves down or beating ourselves up for making mistakes.  Since we are a human being and a child of God we have the right to be treated with respect by others rather than being walked on. 
In today’s Mass readings we hear about the reign of justice in God’s kingdom.  In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah we hear about the Messianic King who will rule with justice. Not only the marginalized will be protected but there will also be a reign of peace.  Thus, natural born enemies whether between animals or human beings and creatures all will get along with each other and there will be no harm. In the responsorial psalm we hear that the Lord as king will defend the poor and deliver justice to those who have been wronged.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear John the Baptist crying out in the desert to “prepare the way of the Lord by make straight his paths.”  As a sign of repentance of sins many people came to be baptized.  Yet, John the Baptist was critical of the religious leaders who came to investigate the prophet.  John demanded that the leaders show authentic conversion through their actions.  John also made sure to his audience that he is not the Messiah but the promised one will come after him and will deliver justice. 
Like the listeners of John the Baptist we too are called to “prepare the way of the Lord and make straight his paths.”  A sure way of preparing the way of the Lord is by living justly.  It is helpful to examine one’s conscience at the end of each day and ask the Holy Spirit to show where one has not lived justly throughout the day.  When we become aware of a sin which we have committed then we need to confess those sins to the priest who is God’s representative.  Thus, we received God’s pardon and peace.  Moreover, since our sins not only affect our relationship with God but our sins also affect others.  Thus, the priest in the name of the Church also reconciles us with the community of believers.  However, our work is not done after confessing our sins we have still have to make amends. 
Just as John of Baptist told the Pharisees and Sadducees to show fruits of their conversion we too need to show that we are truly serious about turning away from sin.  Thus, we try to make amends by returning an item that was stolen, repairing someone’s reputation that was ruined through gossip and lies, as well as apologizing to those we have hurt by our words and actions.  Therefore, after becoming aware of our sins, confessing them, and making amends then we are to try to reconcile if possible. 
And so, on this second Sunday of Advent may we make straight the Lord’s paths by living justly.  Thus, we will be ready to greet the Just King, Jesus Christ with joy instead of fear and shame.