Article Title: HOMILY OF 2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT,YR B
Author: Fr Ben AGBO
Date Added: 2008-12-07
Theme: PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD...and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.
The main thesis of Consolation Theology is found in today’s first reading, Is 40:1-11,where God says through the Prophet Isaiah “console my people” .The process of God’s deliverance of his people always began with this parlance “I have seen the miserable state of my people” cf Ex 3:7.Six operative phrases need to be highlighted in this passage. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary explains them as follows;1.”My people” suggests the message of comfort rather than judgment.2. “Your God” is a popular covenant term, cf Jer 31:34.3. “Heart of Jerusalem” conveys the hope of the new people of God that would emerge from the ashes of the old.4.”Hard service” expresses the Babylonian exile as prototype of the suffering condition of the people of God before the coming of the messiah.5. “Double punishment” is the hyperbole used to impress on the people that the exile was really over.
6.”Prepare the highway” for the lord introduces the idea of removal of obstructions. The New Testament parallel is found in today’s gospel reading, Mk 1:1-8 where we find John the Baptist’s call for repentance. This message poignantly says :(a)Let every valley be filled in. These valleys are the loopholes and weaknesses of our life; prayerlessness, lack of charity etc.(b)Let every mountain and hill be levelled. These mountains are our pride and vain ambitions.(c)Let every cliff become a plateau, every ridges a plain-our impurities, lustful tendencies, greed, lying habits, selfishness, etc must be removed.(d)And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all humanity shall see it together.
Our best preparation is through repentance unto righteousness for “righteousness exalts a nation and sin brings reproach” cf. Prov. 4. We’re in an era when Christians are replacing repentance with “Olu-ezinulo/ mkpocha na nzacha” (ritual cleansing or ‘healing of family roots’). This can never replace repentance according to Ezekiel 18: 14 “if the wicked man has a son who in spite of seeing all the sins his father has committed (and knowing their consequences according to Ezk. 34:6f) does not imitate him; (i) does not eat on the mountains (idolatry), (ii) does not defile his neighbour’s wife, (iii) oppresses no none, (iv) does not rob, (v) gives his own food to the hungry and clothes to the naked, (vi) does not lend for profit or charge interest, (vii) respects my judgements and keeps my laws – he will not die for his father’s sins; he will most certainly live.” This is the real concept of healing of family roots .
So many of us have not experienced the glory of the Lord in the believer because of obstacles of sin. The Word of God says that as long as we are still under age, we were enslaved to the elemental principles of this world (spiritual obstructions) but when the completion of time came (spiritual maturation), God sent his son born of a woman to give us the Spirit of sonship enabling us to cry “Abba Father” cf. Gal.4:3f. Our prayer today is that God may ‘enlighten the eyes’ of our ‘minds to see what hope his calling holds for us, how rich is the glory of his heritage’ and ‘how extraordinarily great is the power he has exercised for us believers’ cf. Ephesians 1: 18f
The two major seasons of Christmas and Easter are periods of special outpouring of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It requires preparation; advent, for the former and Lent, for the later, to enable us have a profound experience of this outpouring
