December 4/Second Sunday of Advent
[John the Baptist said to the Pharisees and Sadducees,] “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” ~ Matt 3.8-9
It’s one thing to take a certain amount of pride in one’s family history (skeletons and all), and even in the longevity of one’s family line. But when we view our lineage as the source and summit of our virtue, we are crossing the line between honoring the past and worshiping it. So, too, with our religious traditions; in an ancient faith like Christianity, we may fall unintentionally into the trap of relying on time-honored rites and rituals to wall ourselves against change. We may derive our sense of holiness or goodness from our mere participation in these rites and rituals, without truly listening to the message or hearing the call. And so we attend church regularly. We recite the memorized formulas and prayers of the liturgy. We go through the motions of worship — kneeling, standing, bowing our heads, making the sign of the Cross. But what is going on beneath the facade of religiosity? Are we genuinely seeking God’s mercy for our faults as we intone the Kyrie Eleison? Do we actually give thanks as we sing the Gloria? Do we truly count ourselves blessed to be called to the supper of the Lamb, the Eucharist? Or are we merely riding the coattails of tradition, like the Pharisees whom John the Baptist excoriates in today’s Gospel reading? John has no patience for those who rely on their religious pedigree as evidence of their virtue. He demands nothing less than total and energetic conversion of heart. The repentance John calls for is a reshaping of the inner self, what the Greeks called metanoia. To repent is to be accountable for our wrongdoing, to listen for God’s word to us, and to align our will with His. That’s what good fruit looks like.
O God, Equip me with the tools of prayer, reflection, and repentance that I need as, with the help of your grace, I reshape my soul during this season of preparation. Amen.
To hear the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, sing “On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Z-tnlaCAU
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120422.cfm
