Real Christmas Gift
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”Mt 3:1-12
2nd SUNDAY of ADVENT Cycle A
Christmas is coming and many are excited. Why? Employees will get bonuses. Many will receive gifts. Kids will collect money from godparents. Some will buy new clothes. There will lots of good food, time for going to the carnival. But are these the real joys of Christmas?
The readings of today instead talk of happiness of another kind. Isaiah predicts that the Messiah will bring gifts of peace and justice. “Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.” Is 11:1-10 The Responsorial Psalm repeats that idea saying “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.” Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 In short, we are told that peace and justice are the real gifts of Christmas that brings authentic joy.
In the gospel John the Baptist tells the people “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Why repent in Christmas when it is a time of joy? Is there a connection between penance and happiness?
In repenting of sins, one will be forgiven and eventually saved by the Messiah. And in being forgiven one’s faults there is genuine satisfaction. As Psalm 32 says: “Happy the one whose sin is forgiven.” Even heaven shares in this joy of the repentant sinner as Luke wrote in Luke 15:4-7.
The real joy that Christmas brings is this joy of being forgiven and its concomitant peace. This is what the violet color of Advent reminds of. Like in Lent we see the sad color of violet and stop singing the joyful song of “Gloria” to give us time to repent. The real joy of Christmas is in the forgiveness of sins. Thus, John the Baptist strongly admonished the Pharisees to repent.
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