Newness of Life

It seems unreal that Advent is almost over and that Christmas is only days away.  Our vigilant wait is almost over, the train is about to leave the station, and the question is: are we prepared?  Are we ready?

We have heard several times at Sunday Mass throughout this past month John the Baptist preaching repentance.  He is the voice calling in the wilderness, “prepare the way of the Lord.”  He is the voice calling us to prepare for the coming of the Savior.  

As Mary and Joseph searched for and prepared a place for the birth of their son in Bethlehem, we too must prepare.  If we are not ready, how will Christ enter and transform our hearts?

Saint John the Baptist’s call to repentance is direct and unsettling.  “You brood of vipers!  Produce good fruit as evidence of you repentance… every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire… the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”  With this sort of preaching surely John did not receive many dinner invitations, yet he preached a necessary truth which ultimately cost him his head.

Repentance always brings hope and joy since only in admitting our sins Christ is able to take them away.  Repentance, as difficult as it may be to recognize our wrong-doing, will always bring hope and joy.  Repentance is always a necessary step towards reconciliation.

Unlike a civil court where if you declare yourself guilty, you are still punished, in the court of God, if you declare yourself guilty with a repentant heart, you are always forgiven.

Christ makes new life come forth from us in the same way the prophet Isaiah wrote that a shoot will sprout from a stump.  From the dry, dead and rough tree stump of our sin-filled souls, Christ makes a delicate, beautiful, and life-giving shoot sprout brining newness of life.  His grace infuses our souls whenever we confess our sins, and we are transformed into new men and women.

In the opening of his exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis invites all to pray, “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you.  I need you.  Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace.”

In the first weeks of his pontificate, Francis repeatedly reminded us that God never grows tired of showing us His mercy; that it is us who tire of asking for it.

As this season comes to a close, seek the mercy of God as countless saintly men and women have in the past.  May the example of those who have gone before us such as the great Saints Paul and Augustine wipe away all fear and hesitation of seeking God’s mercy, so that Christmas may be a season of hope and joy.