Reflection for the Second Sunday of Advent Year A 2022

  Waiting is usually difficult for most of us . After, we are busy people and find it challenging to wait in lines longer than a few minutes. In contrast, waiting is a part of life in some countries. It is part  of a daily routine. Not so for us. Be that as it may, waiting, whether easy or difficult, is key to our Advent period of preparing for the coming of the Lord now, and at the end of time.

               Waiting can be a time of preparation or a time void of preparation. Families who have experienced pregnancy, especially mothers, know that waiting can seem a long time, but that waiting can also let us grow in anticipation and longing for the child to be born. Children are waiting for Christmas. “I just can’t wait ” is a normal childhood statement. But we know that we will have to wait and that as we wait for Christmas or for the birth of a child, we will have to make preparation. 

               John the Baptist tells us to prepare for the coming of the Lord by reforming our lives. That means we have to change. There is a joke about how many psychologists it takes to change a light bulb 

 The answer is one, but first the bulb has to want to change. Actions that bring about change can help us cooperate with God.

               Saint Paul tells us in today’s second reading to go to Scriptures to derive hope, lessons in patience, and encouragement. We can do this. We can also do something different that breaks the routine in life. Write a letter to a loved one or, better yet, take the flowers. Visit someone who is ill or lonely, say something nice to a stranger. John the Baptist broke he routine to bring about change and so can we. Be sensitive to others as you begin to change. They might not recognize or appreciate the new you. This is why, as Saint Paul tells us, we need to receive God’s grace in order to accept one another, and to live our perfect harmony. We must prepare  ourselves to do this. We have to change to do this. We have to accept God’s grace in order for our preparation to be fruitful..

God bless you all 

Fr. Dominic 

 Your brother in Christ