Second Sunday of Advent
Today, December 6, is the feast of St. Nicholas, whom popular culture endearingly calls, Santa Claus. Santa Clause has become the iconic Christmas figure for children in the US, and I think it is not a bad thing. He was the bishop of Myra (present day Demre in Turkey) in the early 4th century and is a great model of Christian faith and generosity. He lost both of his parents as a young man and used his inheritance to help others. As a bishop he was known for caring for the poor and the sick. One story tells how he helped a man with the marriage of his three daughters. The father did not have enough money to pay their dowries and had thought of selling them into servitude. Three times, Saint Nicholas secretly went to their house at night, put a bag of money inside, and left. On another occasion, he reportedly saved three men who were falsely imprisoned and sentenced to death. I am glad that our children have such a wonderful saint to look up to. Children may or may not be interested in the story of the real Saint Nicholas long as they get their nerf-guns or the X-Box, but that’s children.
Let children be children. What about the rest of us? Advent presents youth, young adults and older adults with another iconic figure and the hero of today’s gospel reading – John the Baptist. Yes, at some point we have to grow up from Santa Claus to John the Baptist. They both lead us to Christ. We cannot be children forever. Today, I would like to present John the Baptist as the Santa Claus for adults. So here are my three points reflection.
- Santa’s Clothing and John's Clothing. I learnt recently that Santa Claus’ red outfit has to do more with the Coca-Cola Company than real life. In many other parts of the world, Saint Nicholas is still depicted in a bishop’s garment. And then there is John the Baptist. “John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey” (Mk 1:6). What do John’s clothing and diet say about him? It tells us that he was an ascetic. Scripture scholars tell us that most probably he belonged to a Jewish sect called the Essenes. The Essenes lived a communal life and dedicated themselves to voluntary poverty, ritual purity, and asceticism. But there was something even more special about John. In those days, he attracted people like nobody else. Matthew tells us in today’s gospel reading that “people from the whole Judean countryside and people from Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized in the Jordan as they acknowledged their sins” (Mk 1:5). We might as well say that he was the Santa Clause of the adults. Children have Santa Claus and grown-ups have John the Baptist. Santa Claus rewards children with gifts for good behavior. What does John the Baptist offer? John the Baptist invites us to take a deeper look at life. John the Baptist calls us to conversion. John the Baptist invites us to look towards the one he points to – Jesus, the Christ! His asceticism should inspire us to focus on things that are really important. Especially this year as we endure the pandemic, John’s asceticism and his austerity can help us to keep it simple. I am not against glitz and glamor, tinsel and lights, gifts and merrymaking, but let us not remain childish. Rather, as individuals and as a family, let us also look intensely in the direction in which John the Baptist is pointing. Let us spend some time taking a deeper look at life, evaluating our priorities, and looking at the direction in which our life is heading. Most of all, let us ask this question, ‘Is our life headed in the same direction John that Baptist is pointing?’
- Santa’s Message and John’s Message. At least in popular culture, Santa Clause’ message is “You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout and I’m telling you why. Santa Clause is coming to town!” For adults, the message of John the Baptist is not any different, except it is Jesus who is coming to town! His message today is, “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Mk 1:3). In this way, he continues the Isaiah’s prophetic tradition which we heard in today’s first reading. John’s prophetic ministry, even though a continuation of the prophetic tradition, focused on the immediate preparation for the coming of the Messiah. We see that urgency more clearly in the Lukan version of John the Baptist’s ministry. “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Lk 3:4), and “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance” (Lk 3:8), he cried out. People heard his call. Various groups of people came to him and asked this all-important question, “What then should we do?” (Lk 3:10). Crowds, tax-collectors, even soldiers came and asked him, “What then should we do? (Lk 3:12,14). To the crowds John said, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise (Lk 3:11). To the tax collectors he said, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed!” To the soldiers he said, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages!” (Lk 3:14). Here, then, is the practical implication for my second point. As parents and adults, we tell our children, “You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout! Santa Claus is coming to town.” And to ourselves, we say, “And what should we do?” And this is what separates the children from the adults. Like the people asked John, today we ask ourselves, “And what should we do?” Take this question home with you and reflect upon it this week. It is a sure way to “prepare the way of the Lord.”
- Children’s Advent and the Advent of Disciples. At least in popular culture and for children, the Advent journey ends with Santa’s gifts on Christmas day. What was on the list and what did Santa deliver? As long there is no discrepancy between the list and the gifts, all is well. Once children receive the gifts, they are finished with Santa for a whole year. Poor St. Nic! With John it is just a little different. The Advent journey doesn’t end with John. He points to someone greater him by saying, “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit” (Mk 1:7-8). John points to Christ and John leads us to Christ. He brings us the one who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. The joy, the peace, and the love we experience from the Christ is different from the momentary thrill and happiness children feel with their gifts. Neither John nor Christ are forgotten for the rest of the year. Christmas season will be followed soon by Ordinary Time, when John the Baptist will be martyred for the sake the righteousness, and Christ will begin his ministry. It will be followed by Lent when the events of our salvation will be played out in human history. John’s ‘Lamb of God’ will lead us to eternity itself. But it all begins here today with the prophet’s cry, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” (Mk 1:3). Let us indeed prepare the way of the Lord, for Christmas, for the rest of the year, and for eternity. This is what separates children from adults, believers from revelers, disciples from nominal Christians.
Isaiah, John the Baptist, and St. Nicholas all lead us to the same Christ, the Lamb of God. This is the ‘Lamb of God’ who will be on the altar in a few moments. Children, young men and women, and adults, let us prepare the way of the Lord. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph