THE LORD IS COMING, LET US PREPARE IN JOY
(Mark 1:1-8)
The voice that speaks tenderly to
the people of God cries out today in the desert. We are called upon not to
ignore this solemn voice. That voice has our good at heart. Our salvation is
the greatest concern for which it cries. What does it cry? What is the message
of this second Sunday of Advent? Prepare! Prepare!! Prepare!!! Yes! Let's
prepare in joy for the coming of our Lord. Let us make straight his paths. Let
us be among those who will see the salvation of God.
What does it entail to prepare
for the Lord? Let's hear what the voice cries:
REPENT!
This is a time to feel sorry for
our wrongdoings. It is a time to regret having offended such a God who loves us
so tenderly and wishes to save us in Christ. Repentance should be done in
sincerity. It should be followed by a decision to live better.
CONFESS
The gospel today revealed to us
that all the people went in mass to prepare for the first Christmas confessing
their sins at River Jordan. Let us not wait till the last day of advent to go
for confessions. Let's not allow any sin to hold us in bondage when Jesus is
near us to set us free, when Jesus wishes to liberate us from every form of
captivity.
Oh, this is the time to pray:
"I confess to Almighty God" and mean every word of the prayer, a time
to repent for acts of omissions and commissions. It is a time to show ourselves
to the priest at the confessional and receive absolution. Confess it, remove
that load. Ask Jesus to take off that burden from you.
FORGIVE AND BE FORGIVEN
This time Jesus wants us to
forgive each other. As we look up for divine mercy, we are reminded to look
around and see those who offended us asking for our forgiveness and even those
of them who do not feel like forgiving. Forgive them. Also forgive your own
self. Don't live in the guilt of your past. Rise up and clean your dust, ride
on to embrace the Lord. His arms are outstretched to take you in.
Let go. Let families prepare to
let go of whatever that has been keeping them in enmity and malice. Forgive dad
and mum, forgive brothers and sisters, forgive the hurts.
Let there be community
reconciliation. Let the pastor reconcile with the congregation. Let the
government enter into a harmonious understanding with the people. Let the past
be in the past. Let us correct the wrongs we have done already. Let love lead.
Receive forgiveness from those
who initiate it if you can't initiate one. It takes the grace of God to
initiate it especially when you think you're not at fault. Appreciate the one
who tells you: "I have forgiven you".
LIVE SIMPLE AND CUT YOUR COAT
ACCORDING TO YOUR SIZE
The LCM of being joyful in this
preparation is living a simple life. Jesus is coming like a child; this should
be a lesson for us.
The Gospel of today gives us the
picture of John the Baptist who wore Carmel's hair. Christmas preparation is
unfortunately viewed as a time to show achievements for the year. It is not a
time of fashion. Dear Fine girl/ woman (nwa oma osiso) Jesus is not
concerned about the expensive wears, hair, shoe etc and the shoppings you're
embarking on. The simpler you're the better. Don't be preoccupied by things
that doesn't matter. They will leave you sad because you will never feel
satisfied. The joy of having increases by having. But the earlier you feel the
joy of having Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour the better for you.
Let us also learn a lesson from
John the Baptist when he said: He who is mightier than I comes after me.
It is important for us to know
that all fingers are not equal. Let's stop comparing our Christmas preparation
with those of others. Let's do the
necessary clean-up and be more spiritual than materialistic this time.
SPIRIT OF THE SEASON
That voice in the wilderness
insists that the one who is coming will baptise with the Holy Spirit.
Let us live in the spirit of the
season. Let us live in preparation and alertness. Let us not forget our baptism
which plunged us into living with Christ and dying to sin. Thus, any other
thing we are doing that is against the spirit of this joyful preparation comes
from the evil one and should be frowned at.
The roads that are being repaired
this period should remind us of the road to our souls. What are the potholes in
your heart? Fill it with God's grace. What are the crooked things in your
lifestyle? The fraud? The immorality? The dishonesty, infidelity? etc. Expose
them to the Lord.
Let the interactions, cultural
displays, the tournaments, etc be done in the spirit of the Lord; of love,
brotherhood, unity, peace, reconciliation and progress. Let us baptise our evil
ways with divine ways. Let us be ready to get divinity involved in humanity.
LET US PRAY
Thank you, Almighty God, for the
comforting voice calling us to prepare for the coming of the Lord. Help us to
do this preparation in the right spirit and disposition. Open our ears to hear
your word and repent of our evil ways. Forgive us and help us to forgive one
another and welcome your Son with joy through Christ our Lord. Amen
Happy Sunday (Second Sunday of
Advent, Yr. B)
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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