Joke: A man, who thought he was John the Baptist was disturbing the neighborhood. So for public safety, he was forced to be taken to the psychiatrist. He was put in a room with another crazy patient. He began his routine by saying, “I am John the Baptist! The Lord has sent me as the forerunner of Christ the Messiah!” The other guy looked at him and declared, “I am the Lord your God. I did not send you!”

In anticipating the second coming of the Lord, this second Sunday of Advent, especially in all today’s readings, the Church reminds us of a person who comes into the existence to deliver only one message throughout his entire life. That message is to call people for repentance in preparing for the coming of the Lord. Through the person of John the Baptist, the voice crying out for repentance, the Church invites us to examine ourselves to see how we prepare the way for the second coming of the Lord.

In today’s first reading, prophet Isaiah talks about the day the Lord comes, he will judge his people “Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.” This is exactly what Jesus does when he comes. A Pharisee and a tax collector both prayed in the temple. The Pharisee prayed his prayer after taking his position, raised his head, and said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’  But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his chest and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ Jesus said, “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former.” From the appearance, the Pharisee seemed to win the hearts of the people since he worshiped in the temple and lived his life according to the laws, but in Jesus’ eyes, he was not justified! Why wasn’t he justified, but the tax collector, the one who was considered a sinner with no salvation whatsoever? The tax collector went home justified b/c he recognized his sinful and wrong living, acknowledged his crooked life as a sinner, and humbly asked the Lord to have mercy on him; while the Pharisee, did not on proudly told the Lord how good he is, but worse than that he pointed a finger to condemn the tax collector! This said that he made himself equal to God to judge others! That is why Isaiah continued saying that when the Lord comes, “He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.  Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” Justice he shall judge his people, and faithfulness and mercy he shall judge his people.

God is the God of justice and peace. Therefore, when he comes, the angels in heaven sing, “Glory to God in the Highest, and peace to his people on earth.” The question is how do we prepare the way so that when the Lord comes, he will bring peace, the true peace to us whom we are yearning and waiting for his coming? The answer to this question lies in today’s second reading, taken from the letter of Saint Paul to the Roman community, Paul says, “Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” In other words, whatever was written in the Scriptures, we need to have the courage to be able to endure in carrying out actions that are written in the Scriptures. What is it that we need to carry out into action that is written in the Scriptures? It is the way of the Lord. What is the way of the Lord? We might say that all we know is freeway 37, SPID, highway 22, 77, 181, all around Corpus Christi, but with way is the way of the Lord?

The way of the Lord is not numbered, but it is Repentance. This is the only way, the only message that John the Baptist delivered in his entire life. The question is what is repentance? And how do we repent? Isn’t that repentance to change the crooked way of life, to be honest to our loved ones in what we do and what we say? To admit the wrongdoing and try to improve to make it better? To spend time listening to each other concerns and need in the family? To bring peace to others instead of struggle and stress? To stop and to pause for a moment of our busy schedule within a day to thank the Lord and to offer a good deed to others with whom we come into contact each day? The advent season is a time to prepare a gift for the Lord. The great gift that John the Baptist prepared in his entire life to present to the Lord is the gift of Repentance. What is the gift that we are preparing for the coming of the Lord in this advent season? The decision is always yours.