Crowd Breaker

2nd Sunday of Advent B

December 6-7, 2008

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14;
2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8

Crowded Christmas & Crowd Breaker

19 more sleeps before Christmas!

In other parts of the world particularly in northern hemisphere white Christmas is not far away. You'll see people skating and sledging, and children making snowballs and snowmen.

For us here in the southern hemisphere, although Melbourne weather is unpredictable as always, we are now getting the warm summery feeling.

Whether we are in cold or hot country Christmas is just around the corner.

Christmas season no doubt is really is a crowd builder. Parking lots are with cars; stores are filled with shoppers; shopping inserts in the newspapers are multiplying; it seems a lot of buying is going on.

When we look back at the scene of the first Christmas, we find that it was also crowded. The manger or nativity was surrounded with all familiar Christmas characters: Mary and Joseph, of course, there are the shepherds (the wisemen), cattle, sheep, and some other animals.

Whether we like or not, our popular culture has added more Christmas characters in the crowd: Santa and his elves, Rudolph and other reindeer, the little drummer boy; Frosty the snowman, Tiny Tim and all other funny characters.

We see modern Christmas and first Christmas has both crowded scene. Christmas is definitely not for people suffering demophobia or the fear of crowd!

With all this Christmas crowding, sometimes it’s really hard to see the Lord Jesus, who is the main character of this festive season.

John the Baptist – Crowd Breaker!
Luckily, we have today, John the Baptist, the cousin of our Lord, who is acting like a crowd breaker today with his loud sounding voice: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

We don’t receive Christmas cards with John the Baptist and there aren’t many Christmas jingles about John the Baptist. But the Church places John the Baptist on the center stage of the Second Sunday of Advent.

The Gospel describes John the Baptist who appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John's message calls us to confront and confess our sins; to turn away from them in sincere repentance; to receive God's forgiveness; and most importantly, to look to Jesus.

John the Baptist is our Advent prophet. His prophetic voice echoes the same message of the first reading from the book of Isaiah, prepare the way of Lord. His voice also echoes the letter of St Peter in the Second Reading wishing all Christians to come to repentance, so the when the Lord comes we are to be found without spot or blemish of sins.

Minds & hearts are also crowded
During this time of the year, its not only shopping malls that are crowded, its not only parking lots that are crowded, its not only tv commercials and magazines that are crowded with X-mas advertisements, but our minds and our hearts are also crowded.

Our human hearts and minds can be so crowded with so many confusions, resentment, brokenness, fear, sinfulness and all other negative feelings.

Preparation for Christmas is not only joining the crowded shopping mall. A much deeper preparation for Christmas is the clearing of our crowded minds and hearts. John the Baptist speaks about preparing the way for the Lord, in terms of getting rid of the bumps and holes in our life to make straight path for the Lord.

John the Baptist reminds us today that Advent Season is a time removing all blockages and obstacles which prevent our Lord Jesus from coming close to us.

Be Empty
The best way to prepare for the Lord this Christmas is to be empty. The more we put Christmas decors and beautiful lights in and out our house that more we need to empty ourselves.

There is a story about a young student who went to visit his elderly teacher for advice. "Sir," he said, "teach me what I need to know to have a happy life. I have studied the sacred scriptures, I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, the Pope, the Dalai Lama, and what have you, but I have not found the answer, please teach me the way."

At this point the old teacher served tea to his guest. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring so that the tea began to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, and still he poured, until tea was flowing upon the floor.

The young student watched it until he could not longer help himself.

“Sir what are you doing? Can’t you see? Its overfull already, no more will go in" he cried out. "Like this cup", the old man said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the way unless you first empty your cup?"

Conclusion
Let us be empty. Let us empty our hearts of all the unnecessary and harmful stuff during these Advent weeks. Let us clean our hearts with tears of repentance and confession of sins. Let us be empty so that we can see Jesus clearly and make Him the center of our lives this Christmas.

John the Baptist came to teach us today that there is a way out of the darkness and sadness of the world and the wilderness of our human condition, and that way is Jesus himself. Let us humbly listen to his words today: Prepare the way of the Lord.

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Suggested reading: captured fire by joseph krempa