Candle of Peace – A second purple candle on the Advent wreath is lit on the second Sunday of Advent which is known as the candle of Peace symbolizes peace and preparation.
Last Sunday’s readings, especially the gospel, focused on the second coming of Jesus Christ. Today we begin to look more directly at the coming of God’s Son in our midst as a preparation for that final coming. The central figure in today’s Gospel is John the Baptist.
The first reading describes how God will reform the lives of His Chosen People by sending the Messiah. Because of the bad example of the unfaithful successors of King David, the Chosen People were wavering in their loyalty to Yahweh. Hence, in the first reading, the Lord God, through His prophet, Isaiah, tries to dispel their fears and to stir up hope among His people with His promise of a new Davidic King who will establish peace and a glorious Kingdom of justice on earth.
In the second reading, Paul is praying for the reformation of the Jewish Christians of Rome and instructing them to draw endurance and encouragement from the Old Testament books. They are to live in harmony with Gentile Christians, accepting them as equal, brothers and sisters, while they wait together for the second coming of Jesus.
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist urges the Pharisees and Sadducees to give evidence that they mean to reform their lives so as to recognize and be ready to meet and accept the promised Messiah. He challenges them to repentance, conversion, and renewal. He tells the common people, who expect the Messiah to come soon, to act with justice and charity. In the same way, as we prepare to welcome Christ at Christmas, John advises us to “prepare the way of the Lord.”
John’s message was not soothing. It cut into the very hearts of men. John denounced evil wherever he found it. He accused Herod of living a loose moral life, addressed the Scribes and the Pharisees as “brood of vipers” and summoned people to righteousness. His message was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand” (v. 2), words which Jesus later used to begin his own preaching and similar to those Jesus and his disciples would proclaim.
The word “repent” is repeated 49 times in the New Testament. Literally, the Greek word for repentance (metánoia) means, “to change one’s mind and heart,” a change of direction or a U-turn. Repentance for us is not a one-time action but must take place daily, because preparing for the Lord is a perpetual task.
Advent means “coming” and, if this season is to be meaningful, there must be a genuine coming of Jesus into our lives both as individuals and as community. It is a time to remind ourselves of our constant need for metanoia. During this Advent, “God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change; the courage to change the things we can; and the wisdom to know the difference”.
