DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Baruch 5,1-9; Phil. 1,3-6.8-11; Luke 3,1-6: Year C )
Advent is the season in which we celebrate the salvific intervention of God in human history and our hope for the fulfilment of the salvation plan in the world to come. In the first reading from the Book of Baruch (5,1-9) there are two movements that indicate reversal (a change to an opposite direction, position, or course of action) of fortunes. In the first one (vv. 1-4) Jerusalem is first portrayed as a grieving mother. Her sorrow is not for herself but for those children who were carried off by enemies, scattered both east and west. Since this also meant the loss of any future for the family, one could say that Jerusalem was faced with extinction. Hence she is clothed in the traditional garments of a mourner. Finding the city in such a state, the prophet directs her: Take off your robe of mourning and misery! Her attire is to be completely altered. In place of bereavement garb, she is told to clothe herself with the glory and justice that come from God. This transformation is called for so that the new splendour of the city will be seen by all the earth. Finally, the city whose name means foundation of peace is given a new name: the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship. Transformed by the glory of God, Jerusalem is told to stand on the heights and witness a second reversal of fortunes (vv. 5-9): those who had been taken from her as captives will return rejoicing; led away from her on foot, they will be carried back to her on royal thrones. The contour (here refers to outline of a natural feature such as hills, roads and forests) of the world will be transformed for the sake of the people of Israel. The route upon which they will travel will be made level to facilitate their crossing; the high places will be brought low and the depressions will be filled in (cf. Isa 40,4). Even the trees will shelter them as they return home. Just as those scattered will be gathered by the word of God, so it is God who will level their return route and bring them back to Jerusalem.
The affection Paul has for the Christians of the Philippian community is evident in this passage of the second reading: Philippians 1,4-6,8-11. This affection is more than merely human sentiment, as noble as that might be. The longing he has for them is identified with the affection/compassion which Christ has toward them (v. 8). Although it was Paul who brought the good news of the gospel to these people he acknowledges that it was God who made it take root in their hearts, and it is God who will oversee its maturation until it is brought to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. The spread and fruition of the word is God’s doing. Paul is merely the instrument God has used to plant the seed. The eschatological character of this passage becomes clear when Paul identifies the time of full flowering as the day of Christ Jesus, the second coming of Christ. Paul’s message here serves to assure the Philippians that this anticipated day will be one of rich harvest for them and not punishment. Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is twofold: that their love for one another will increase, and that they will be pure and blameless for the coming day of Christ.
The love of which Paul speaks (agape) is selfless, like the sacrificial love of Christ. Here it has no explicit object. It is a disposition of openness to all. He also prays for purity and blamelessness. This suggests the kind of Christian maturity that produces fruits of righteousness. If the believers are to be pure at the time of Christ’s coming, they will have to have been living pure lives. This is the substance of Paul’s prayer; he wants them to live out that for which he prays.
The gospel writer places John’s activity and the ministry of Jesus squarely in the midst of the broader world. The power structures in Palestine are identified, beginning with the Roman, emperor himself (Tiberius Caesar) and moving through the list of regional authorities of occupation and the Jewish religious leadership. John the Baptist is a most fascinating figure. He comes from a priestly family (Cf. Luke 1,5), yet he is found in the desert. His activity occurred in the region of the Jordan, the gateway to the Promised Land. This passage of the gospel treats the kind of baptism John proclaims; it does not describe the actual rite. In the Jewish tradition baptism was a common practice that had a rich and varied significance. It was one of the three requirements for becoming a Jew (along with circumcision and sacrifice). It was an ascetic act that at times signified turning away from evil and at other times represented cleansing from sin, which was the divine answer to repentance. In either case it carried an eschatological importance, marking the entrance into a new form of living. The baptism of John called for repentance (metanoia), a conversion, or change of heart. This conversion was for the forgiveness of sin. John proclaimed his message in the desert. Just as both the Exodus and the return from exile involved a desert crossing, so the eschatological renewal proclaimed by John begins in the desert. Finally, as both of the earlier incidents were salvific, so will this new coming of the Lord be an event of salvation. However, it will not be limited to the people of Israel. As announced by Isaiah, this salvation will be universal.
John proclaims repentance, the kind of transformation that results in a change of heart. The readings are filled with examples of reversals that characterise such transformation: the robe of mourning is replaced by the splendour of glory; tears are turned into rejoicing; those led away by enemies are brought back by God; valleys are filled, mountains are levelled, winding roads are made straight; even nature offers itself as shelter for the People of God. In a world that has been transformed those who are shamed and discarded are made glorious; those who suffer are comforted; the oppressed are freed; all life’s obstacles are removed; the way to God is made straight; the natural world enjoys peace and harmony. This is the promise made to us in our time. Advent is a time of yearning for such transformation. It is the time of preparing for its arrival. It is a time to open ourselves so that, as in the past, God can accomplish through ordinary human beings the necessary reversals that are part of this hoped-for transformation. It is the time of bringing the promises for the future, made in the past, to fruition in the present. The transformation, or repentance of heart, takes place within human life, within relationships of justice between people and with the earth, in right living, in genuine unselfish love. It produces the fruits of righteousness of which Paul speaks. The first reading suggests that the reversals are experienced by a people who grieve. The same transformation is particularly evident in our relationships with the people we offend or the people we discard, with the people of whom our own society takes advantage. Advent living requires that we situate ourselves in our own lives, that we do not try to escape our own history. It challenges us to see history as the very sacrament of God’s advent. We do this with the eyes of faith opening us to the transformative future embedded in the present. Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye
(pictures added by chukwubike)
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