Second Sunday of Advent

Once she has prepared her own self, body and spirit, to be a welcoming space for the coming child, the mother-to-be looks a bit further afield. What kind of world does she want for her child? One filled with love, with kindness, with peace. In today's readings "the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid." There is the promise of a peace never before imagined, a taming of the world.

The second reading asks that God may grant us "to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus." This vision can appear at many levels. The first and obvious one is in our own lives, that we work at really getting along with each other, even with those whom we don't feel particularly close to. The next level should flow from that: a vision of justice where there is peace and harmony in the world.

The gospel shows a strong John the Baptist exhorting us to repent! Make straight the way of the Lord! This is an even deeper look at the call of last week - to get rid of anything that would inhibit the full blossoming of the child to come.

By Mary Buckley CSJ