2nd Sunday of Advent (Cycle A, YearII)

Community Word:The coming of Jesus Christ brings joy and hope in our lives.

Theme:There is joy and hope in our lives when we truly repent.

Promise:“He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.”(Ps 72:13)

Reflection:
What does it mean to truly repent? The Greek word for repentance as used in the Gospel is metanoia, which means – “a change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion.” This change entails a profound interior conversion in which one firmly turns away from worldly darkness and embrace a new way of life as Christ’s disciple. It is dying to Christ, discarding ones former way of life in favor of the Way, the Truth and Life that is Christ Himself.

Such repentance is aptly described in Scriptures: “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God,” (Joel 2:12). When we return to God with our whole heart, we see with stark clarity those numerous times, those times of sinning, when we failed to love God. The rending of our heart drives us toward a desire to do penance, for we see our lowliness in the Divine light of fervent conversion which clearly reveals all our attachments to sin.

Before their conversion, a couple in community lived together without the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage. Their relationship was characterized by constant bickering and throwing of things every time they quarrel. The husband was heavy into gambling and womanizing. In his younger days, he left home and indulged in all kinds of vices. He describes himself as akin to the “prodigal son” who worked in a piggery with the same life of dissipation. One day, a friend invited the couple to join a renewal community and had their union solemnized in the Catholic Church.

This gave way to true repentance and profound transformation in their life. They have experienced many miracles including the husband’s two successful by-pass operation and the Lord’s provision of their hospital bills being fully paid despite their lack of funds. Love, peace and joy now reign in their family. They have been serving their community for eighteen years now, as they profess dedicating their life to the Lord and faithfully serving Him.

Nonetheless, even with spiritual transformation, temptation and sin will continue to be a challenge as part of human nature. Understanding their root causes and working on how to avoid them will lead to spiritual maturity. Family healing prayers, praying the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration and getting a spiritual counselor will surely help. Devotion to Mama Mary, Poor Souls in Purgatory and certain saints is another great remedy against temptation and evil. True repentance also means striving to live a righteous life and going back to the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation whenever we sin again. St. John Paul II, who is known to go to confession every week, said, “Those who go to Confession frequently, and do so with the desire to make progress, will notice the strides that they make in their spiritual lives.”

Being poor in spirit is to humble ourselves before the Lord and acknowledge our sinfulness and our continuing struggle to be right before God. As sinners, we are spiritual destitute, lost and broken. But as the theme of the week reminds us, there is joy and hope in our lives when we truly repent. And therefore, as we strive to be holy, we can always claim God’s promise when we allow Him to remain our hearts: “He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.” (Ps 72:13).

Prayer:
Father God, I confess that to be away from Your presence leaves me in spiritual darkness and destitution. But I desire to live a holy life and to experience full joy of being in Your light and grace. During the season of Advent, allow me to resolve to be more focused on Jesus, our Emmanuel, for Him to remain in my heart, that I may be truly transformed in the hope of His final coming. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

Reflection Guide Questions:
1.How much do you value the Sacrament of Reconciliation? How often do you go to confession?
2.What steps do you take to avoid any occasion of sin?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
December 8, 2019 (Sun) – Is 11:1-10/Ps 72:1, 2, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17/Rom 15:4-9/Mt 3:1-12
December 9, 2019 (Mon) – Gn 3:9-15, 20/Ps 98:1-4/Eph 1:3-6, 112, 12/Lk 1:26-38
December 10, 2019 (Tue) – Is 40:1-11/Ps 96:1-3, 10-13/Mt 18:12-14
December 11, 2019 (Wed) – Is 40:25-31/Ps 103:1-4, 8, 10/Mt 11:28-30
December 12, 2019 (Thu) – Zec 2:14-17/Jdt 13:18-19
December 13, 2019 (Fri) – Is 48:17-19/Ps 1:1-4, 6/Mt 11:16-19
December 14, 2019 (Sat) – Sir 48:1-4, 9-11/Ps 80:2, 3, 1, 16, 18, 19/Mt 17:9, 10-13

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”