2nd Sunday of Advent
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
OLR, NOLA
Humans
respond to fear. This is both a good and a bad thing. If fear
prevents us from doing something incredibly dangerous – that's
good. However, if fear drives us to do something incredibly stupid –
that's bad. Politicians, media talking-heads, religious leaders –
they all understand that fear can motivate human action or forestall
it. So, they make liberal use of predictions to paint for us a
picture where our only response can be one of fear. Fortunately,
reality intervenes and their predictions are shown to be little more
than scare tactics in a strategy to dominate us. Economists predicted
the financial collapse of the UK if that nation left the E.U. Didn't
happen. Climate scientists predicted a New Ice Age in the 70's if we
didn't cut pollution. Didn't happen. Religious leaders of all stripes
regularly predict the end-of-the-world on some specific date if we
don't donate. Hasn't happened yet! Now, we read that John the Baptist
is predicting the coming of the Messiah and the destruction of
sinners if they do not repent. “Even now,” he preaches, “the ax
lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not
bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Is he
trying to make us fearful? Absolutely!
But his fearful prediction is about freedom from sin and not worldly
domination.
So,
if politicians, scientists, religious leaders use predictions of doom
and gloom to scare us into obedience, why should we believe John the
Baptist when he predicts the coming of the Messiah and eternal fire
for unrepentant sinners? One simple reason, really: he
is right; that is,
his prediction – or better named – his prophecy is fulfilled with
the coming of the Christ Child. The Messiah has come, and he will
come again. This is a fundamental truth of our faith. Not a truth
meant to dominate us in the world, or to frighten us into religious
submission. But a truth that sets us free from our slavery to sin and
death. The coming of the Messiah is prophesied in the O.T. Some 800
years before the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Isaiah writes, “On
that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the
Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.” We
know that the Gentiles – the Magi – followed the signal – the
North Star – to seek out the Infant Christ and found him glorious
in his shepherd's hut. Recognizing him as their King, they prostrate
themselves and give him the gifts due a priest, a prophet, and a
king. John the Baptist's prophecy – his prediction – that the
Messiah will come is fulfilled.
If
we believe that his prediction concerning the Messiah comes true –
and we do – then why would we doubt the second part of his fearful
prediction? The part where he says, “[The Messiah] will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He
will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” We shouldn't
doubt this b/c this is precisely why
the Messiah comes in the first place.
Not to condemn. But to gather to himself those who have repented of
their sins and followed after him in love. The “unquenchable fire”
isn't so much a punishment as it is a consequence, the inevitable
result of declining to live fully in the light of Divine Love. As I
have preached to you many times over the years: we
choose hell for ourselves.
By living apart from God's love and His will, we choose to live
outside His mercy forever in death. He will not force Himself on us.
We must freely choose and then live out our freedom with good works.
John the Baptist warns the Pharisees and us that our repentance must
produce good fruit to be secure. He preaches, “You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit
as evidence of your repentance.” Where is my good fruit? Where is
yours?
I
am thankful everyday that I am not left alone to produce the good
fruits of repentance. I shudder to think what I would choose on my
own. I have my Dominican brothers; the seminary faculty, staff, and
seminarians; friends and family. I have a great cloud of witnesses
bearing me up, and dozens of faithful Catholics praying for me. And
it is this unity of purpose – the one heart and one mind of the
Church – that holds everyone of us up. Paul writes to the Romans,
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in
harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one
accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ.” With endurance and encouragement we think in
harmony! With one voice we give glory to God! That's how we begin
to produce the good fruits of repentance – by staying close to the
heart and the mind of the Church, giving thanks and praise to God,
and doing everything that we do, and saying everything that we say,
and thinking everything that we think for no other reason than to
give God the glory. Do this. . .and you will bear the most excellent
fruit.
We
await the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. And we await his
coming again at the end of the age. While we wait, we prepare. We
prepare by remaining in good spiritual shape. By exercising our
sacraments. By fasting and prayer. And by remembering always: our
God has given us every encouragement to endure in peace until His
Christ should again appear. Remain one heart, one mind, in the
service of one Lord.
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