Homily Notes 2nd Sunday of Advent/ “Change is a Dirty Word”
2nd Sunday of Advent/ “Change is a Dirty Word”
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” These are words of Winston Churchill. The words could sum up the message of today’s liturgy. We grabble with the whole idea that none of us likes to admit that we need to change.
Old Testament Prophets were important figures in the history of Israel. The prophets represented a mysticism in the Jewish religion. The belief, was, that God was guiding Israel. God was looking out for her. The Lord was present to the nation. Israel was not like any other nation. Israel was God’s holy people.
After the Prophet Malachi wrote, there were no prophetic utterances for 400 years. The people of Israel lost confidence, it seemed, in the intervention of God in their lives. Various nations had conquered the people of Israel. As the Christian era began, Israel was under the control of the Romans. The institutions and governance of the nation were usurped by this foreign power.
The writer of the Gospel of Luke emphasizes that fact by listing seven important men who ran the world at the time of John the Baptist Two were Roman rulers; Tiberius and Pontus Pilate. Three were kings that were appointed by the Romans to rule Israel. Two were high priests who cooperated with the occupying power. The reality was that the Jewish people were completely at the mercy of the Romans. God seemed absent. All was lost. But then came the Jesus event.
As the prophet Baruch looked over the horizon for the people to return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile in the 6th century B.C. John the Baptist looked over the horizon in the first century of the Christian era looking for the Messiah to come. John was the prophetic voice that the nation longed to hear again. John used the same words as Baruch. The way needed to be made clear if the Messiah was to come.
We could take this historical description of how Israel needed to clear away any obstacles to the coming of the Lord translating it to a personal level. What do we need to change in our lives so that the Lord will come to us? John the Baptist, we hear, was involved in a Baptism of repentance. But the Greek word for repentance that is used is Metanoia. Metanoia is very strong word which denotes an inner transformation which leads to a change in lifestyle. John the Baptist is preaching to us all, asking that we desire holiness. What are the ramifications if we are not willing to constantly change?
We see examples all the time of groups of people who are not willing to make changes because they lack vision. Sometimes we need to recognize that paradigm shifts happen. We can resist new movements in our life or we can cooperate with them. One of the examples that has been used through the years regarding a people unwilling to change were Swiss watchmakers in the last century. In 1968 the Swiss were acknowledged as the preeminent watchmakers of the world. The Swiss made most of the quality time pieces sold. But then someone invented the quartz watch. Instead of many mechanical parts a quartz watch worked off a few. The modern watch depends on electronic pulses. The Swiss believed that the quartz watch was a novelty that would go away.
The Japanese took the technology and started to use it. In a few years, the Japanese made most of the watches in the world. In 1970 there were 1600 watch makers in Switzerland by 1982 there were 600. The Swiss had refused to change so they missed out on opportunity. Are we missing out on an opportunity?
We all realize that we have paradigm shifts in our lives. We are sinners. We can be resistant to God’s initiatives. We can say, “I have plenty of time until I need to become a holier person.” We can say, “It is too hard.” Or, “I am too old.” All of us can be distracted from the need to conversion by the material pursuits. We have a prime example during the month of December. We are caught up in buying the next gift or attending the next party. We think the spiritual stuff can wait until next year when we make our resolutions for 2019. But time is passing.
John the Baptists call is directed at each one of us. He says. “Make ready.” Jesus is coming to us right now. We can see him today. We will see him tomorrow. We know we will not be perfect when he comes. But if we are desiring to be grace filled, we can be ready when Jesus arrives. We only need the ambition to change.