The Dictate of the Heart: Second Sunday of Advent, Year A
For over two years of faithfully writing the daily gospel reflections on my Facebook account and on my blog just recently, I decided to just upload the two homilies for Extraordinary Form Latin Mass and for the Novus Ordo each week. Many of my friends have told me that they miss reading the daily “Dictate of the Heart.” It is really difficult and strenuous on my eyes dealing with gadgets that are tremendously affecting my vision. I am looking forward to better relaxing moments closing my eyes for meditation and prayers.
I encourage you to explore and leave a comment. . . .
We are in the second Sunday of Advent. As I have mentioned, this is a season to eagerly wait in anticipation and much hope for the coming of Christmas and Jesus’ final coming. To continue the attitude of hope, we need firm Faith in the Lord. Most of the readings speak about the harmony, peace and beauty of those who live in the kingdom of God. Everything will be infused with the Spirit of God to fulfill His vision of a better place.
The first reading from the Prophet Isaiah gives us hope that the world will be judged with justice because “the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord..” As we read it, there is a beautiful image that animals and human beings come to experience exactly the paradise we have envisioned, as well as the restoration of every beauty, oneness, justice, peace, and joy in the world. How can we achieve all this? Let us begin with ourselves, with little steps doing good works, like treating others fairly and suspending our judgement towards others simply based on appearances, but looking beyond what is on the outside. I know that we can do it, for God has given us the spirit of His grace. We can do it for each other when we look beyond our own selves.
The second reading is taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans. I believe that St. Paul is encouraging us that it is our duty to consider people who are weak and poor. We must bear with them and not alienate them because of their afflictions. Jesus Christ is with us; thus we must empathize with others by ministering to them in order to achieve the vision of that Kingdom. This is about bearing with each other as neighbors. It is the example of Christ that we must imitate.
The gospel from St. Matthew reminds us that we are all crying out in the desert; therefore, we need to be conscious of how we must prepare for the way of the Lord.
First, St. John the Baptist preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These are also the words of the Prophet Isaiah that a voice, referring to John, calls everyone in preparation to make the path straight for the way of the Lord. Repentance is absolutely necessary to count on God’s forgiveness, but we need to act now.
Second, St. John the Baptist led the people to the river Jordan to be baptized. People were “going out with him” as “they acknowledge their sins.” During this liturgical season, we are encouraged to remember the day when we were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, which provides us a powerful setting for our Advent journey. Let us go back to our baptismal promises and profoundly value that moment in our lives .
Third, St. John the Baptist saw the large number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism. He said to them, “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” What it means is that people must be dead serious of their willingness to render their hearts from doing evil and instead produce good deeds and bear many fruits so that their lives can bloom and flourish every day. Being fruitful is not simply living in self-righteousness, but our endurance to change for the better could result in strong faith and hope, making straight the path to Jesus which starts first from our own hearts.
Fourth, St. John the Baptist teaches about baptism. He tells the crowd: “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.” This particular verse helps us to focus on our responsibility to embrace the gift of the Lord who is mightier than St. John the Baptist. His humility touches our hearts to be humble at all times. If we want to be self-sufficient, independent, and perfect, then our pride will be truly a big obstacle to repentance. It is only when we are ready to relinquish our desire for that kind of ideal life that we will be able to focus on Jesus, who “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” St. Augustine teaches us that practicing humility is the only way to attain self-development.
Brothers and sisters, during this second Sunday of Advent, with much conviction that the lighting of the candle will make sense to take us out from darkness and begin to settle within us, may we have stronger faith that will lead us to actions rather than dwelling on self-disappointments and anxieties.
Let us sing with one voice glorifying God. St. Paul says, let us “welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Our victory is not measured by an individual success story, but how we journey together and are engaged with our family and community, experiencing peace and harmony and striving hard to build a true kingdom of God.
Come Lord, Jesus!
Fr. Arlon, osa
El Dictado del Corazón: Segundo Domingo de Adviento, año A
- Isaías 11:1-10
- Salmos 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
- Romanos 15:4-9
- Mateo 3:1-12
Durante más de dos años de escribir fielmente las reflexiones diarias del evangelio en mi cuenta de Facebook y en mi blog recientemente, decidí subir las dos homilías para la Misa en latín de forma extraordinaria y para el Novus Ordo. Muchos de mis amigos me dijeron que extrañan leer el “Dictado del Corazón” diario. Es realmente difícil y extenuante para mis ojos lidiar con aparatos que están afectando tremendamente mi visión. Espero con ansias un mejor momento de relajación cerrando los ojos para la meditación y oración.
Estamos en el Segundo Domingo de Adviento. Como mencioné, esta es una temporada para esperar ansiosamente la llegada de la Navidad y con mucha esperanza la venida final de Jesús. Para continuar la actitud de esperanza, necesitamos una Fe firme en el Señor. La mayoría de las lecturas hablan de la armonía, la paz, la belleza de quienes viven en el reino de Dios. Todo será infundido con el Espíritu de Dios para cumplir Su visión de un lugar mejor.
La primera lectura del profeta Isaías nos da la esperanza de que el mundo será juzgado con justicia porque “el espíritu del Señor reposará sobre él; un espíritu de sabiduría y de entendimiento, un espíritu de consejo y de fortaleza, un espíritu de conocimiento y de temor del Señor..” Como lo leemos, hay una imagen hermosa que los animales y los seres humanos llegan a experimentar exactamente. el paraíso que hemos imaginado. La restauración de toda belleza, unidad, justicia, paz y alegría en el mundo. ¿Cómo podemos lograr todo esto? Comencemos por nosotros mismos, un pequeño paso de hacer buenas obras como tratar a los demás con justicia, suspensión de nuestro juicio hacia los demás basado simplemente en las apariencias pero para mirar más allá de lo que está afuera. Sé que podemos hacerlo, porque Dios nos ha dado el espíritu de Su gracia. Podemos hacerlo el uno por el otro cuando solo miramos más allá de nosotros mismos.
La segunda lectura está tomada de la Carta de San Pablo a los Romanos. Creo que San Pablo nos anima a que es nuestro deber considerar a las personas débiles y pobres. Debemos tener consideración y no alejarlos a causa de sus aflicciones. Por lo que debemos empatizar con los demás, ministrándolos para lograr la visión de ese Reino. Se trata de sobrellevarnos unos a otros como vecinos. Es el ejemplo de Cristo, el cual debemos imitar.
El evangelio de San Mateo nos recuerda que todos estamos clamando en el desierto, por lo tanto, debemos ser conscientes de cómo debemos preparar el camino al Señor, a nuestras vidas.
Primero, la predicación de San Juan el Bautista: “Arrepentíos, porque el reino de los cielos está cerca”. Estas son también las palabras del profeta Isaías, una voz, refiriéndose a Juan, que llama a todos en preparación para enderezar el camino hacia el camino del Señor. El arrepentimiento es absolutamente necesario para contar con el perdón de Dios, pero debemos actuar ahora.
Segundo, San Juan el Bautista guió a la gente al río Jordán para ser bautizados. La gente “salía con él” ya que “reconocían sus pecados”. En esta temporada litúrgica, se nos anima a recordar el día en que fuimos bautizados en el nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo, que nos proporciona un escenario poderoso para nuestro viaje de adviento. Volvamos a nuestras promesas bautismales y valoremos profundamente ese momento de nuestra vida.
En tercer lugar, San Juan Bautista vio la gran cantidad de fariseos y saduceos que acudían a su bautismo. Él les dijo: “Haced buen fruto como prueba de vuestro arrepentimiento”. Lo que significa es que las personas deben tomar muy en serio su voluntad de desgarrar sus corazones de hacer el mal, producir buenas obras y dar muchos frutos para que sus vidas puedan crecer y florecer todos los días. Ser fructífero no es simplemente vivir en justicia propia. Pero nuestra perseverancia para cambiar, mejorar podría resultar en fe y esperanza, enderezando los caminos para Jesús que comenzarán primero desde nuestros propios corazones.
Cuarto, San Juan Bautista enseña sobre el bautismo. Le dice a la multitud: “Yo los bautizo con agua, en señal de que ustedes se han convertido; pero el que viene después de mí, es más fuerte que yo”. Este versículo en particular nos ayuda a centrarnos en nuestra responsabilidad de abrazar el don del Señor, que es más poderoso que San Juan el Bautista. Su humildad toca nuestros corazones para ser humildes en todo momento. Si quisiéramos ser autosuficientes, independientes y perfectos, nuestro orgullo será verdaderamente un gran obstáculo para el arrepentimiento. Solo cuando estemos listos para renunciar a nuestro deseo de ese tipo de vida ideal que queremos en Jesús, quien “Él los bautizará en el Espíritu Santo y su fuego”. San Agustín nos enseña que practicar la humildad es la única forma de alcanzar el desarrollo personal.
Hermanos y hermanas, durante este Segundo Domingo de Adviento, con mucha convicción, que la luz tenga sentido para sacarnos de las tinieblas y que comience a brillar en nosotros, que teniendo una fe más fuerte nos lleve a las acciones, en lugar de quedarnos en el auto-egoísmo. decepciones y angustias.
Cantemos a una sola voz glorificando a Dios. San Pablo dice, acojámonos unos a otros, pues, como Cristo nos acogió a nosotros, para la gloria de Dios. Nuestra victoria no se mide por una historia de éxito individual, sino por cómo caminamos juntos y estamos comprometidos con nuestra familia y comunidad experimentando paz, armonía y esforzándonos arduamente para construir un verdadero reino de Dios.
Ven Señor, Jesús.
Padre Arlón, osa
Extraordinary Form Latin: Second Sunday of Advent
Today’s collect prayer gives us clear perspective of our celebration on this 2nd Sunday of Advent. This we pray, “Excita, Domine, corda nostra ad preaparandas Unigeniti tui vials: ut per ejus adventum, purificatis tibi mentibus servire mereamur. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way of Thine only begotten Son; that through His coming we may attain to serve Thee with purified minds.”
We ask God to purify our hearts and minds to prepare for His coming. A lot of things are distracting us from paying our full attention to understand the many lessons we need to find in the scriptures, which according to St. Paul, “were written for our learning.”
The first reading taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (15:4-13) admonishes us that we must be of one mind and heart and “to receive one another, as Christ has received you unto the honor of God.” We will be meeting ungodly people, even inside the Church; however, the words of God give us patience and comfort and, according to St. Paul, the “God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Certainly, we need to clean or to purify our hearts and to wash our hands in innocence so that we will advance ourselves preparing for Advent and Christmas.
In the gospel today from St. Matthew, John was imprisoned by Herod. He was incarcerated a year before he was beheaded. John heard in prison about the ministry of Jesus where thousands were following Him. John had no direct witnessing of Jesus’ works. He was wondering, when hearing about Jesus, if this would be the beginning of the coming of the Lord and His new covenant. Thus, he asked some of his disciples to verify this and for them to inform him what was going on outside his prison cell. I believe that is part of his excitement and anticipation.
We know that John is a great prophet, forerunner, and announcer of the coming of the Messiah. However, he was apprehensive of so many things going on in his life. In John’s excitement to welcome the Messiah, there is a human element to ask and to question whether Jesus’ works of compassion are only a show. I guess this is exactly what is happening to us. There is quite a resemblance with regards to our own experience that when things do not happen according to what we have in mind and according to our own expectation, we always have doubts and questions. How do we deal with this?
First, John did not doubt Jesus’ identity. In Matthew 11:3, “and said to Him, Art thou He that comes, look we for another?” This is the question of John’s disciples to Jesus. John the Baptist wanted only a clear verification from Jesus. “And Jesus, making answer, said to them Go: and relate to John what you have heard and seen.” This was aside from numerous cures and miracles that testified to who Jesus is.
In an account of John’s life, he was filled with the Holy Spirit inside the womb of Elizabeth, his mother, and there is no doubt that he knew so well about Jesus being the promised Messiah whom he came to announce to the world to prepare and make His path straight. When Jesus approached John for baptism, he said, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”. (Luke 3:16) Here, and in the parallel synoptic passages from Matt 3:11 and Mark 1:7, John the Baptist is just emphasizing the greatness of the One who is to come after him. This unleashing the straps of His sandals is for him something that he cannot do. It is his humility to think that he is not so good to be at the service of such a great and holy man, Jesus. This Advent season, we must imitate the humility of St. John the Baptist.
Second, when we are given such a great role to do, we should not be discouraged. John the Baptist was young and a great prophet. Preparing for the coming of the Lord is not an easy task to do. He endured so many hardships, up to the extent that he was imprisoned by Herod for talking about the truth not to deal with immorality. It is no wonder that after a year of confinement, John had some disturbance of heart. He had lived for most of his life in the wilderness but focused on his mission.
The challenges we are dealing with right now should not get us down. We should not succumb to despair and even depression. Lately, I was crippled by the spirit of depression because both of my eyes bother me again. I have been experiencing blurry vision. Last Wednesday, I received shots in both eyes, but instead of being carried by the spirit of depression, I called my eye doctor and instantly got an appointment to see him. What a blessing! I had kept on procrastinating to the point of denial. I was very low and had a feeling of failure but was not crippled by a spirit of doubt and discouragement.
I would say today that Jesus says, “behold I send Angel before thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.” This is a sustained movement of God that would change us.
When you suffer any of these kinds of moods or simple doubts and stress, the devil wants to convince you that you are a failure seeking God’s intervention. It just isn’t true. It isn’t about our lowest point but how God lifts us up. Jesus is the answer because there are so many biblical testimonies and the promise of blessings. All of us deal with the greatest compassion and mercy of God.
Jesus complimented John the Baptist with these words, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” Jesus doesn’t destroy John’s reputation, He exalts it. I like to think that if this is the way Jesus dealt with His forerunner, then He will deal with us in the very same way.
Domine, misericordiam tuam, et salutare tuum da nobis. O Lord, Thy mercy and grant us Thy salvation. Advent is a season of change and looking to a future that was not yet clear or known, but being prepared to serve with purified hearts and minds.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
