I will get to the Gospel in just a second,
But I’d like to begin by going back to the first reading
From the Prophet Isaiah that Joyce read
So beautifully for us today.

She proclaimed it spectacularly,
And there are some images that she highlighted
In her proclamation that I want to remind us of.

This is what the Prophet Isaiah said:

That in the One who is to come—
In the One whom we should prepare for—
Through Him the wolf will be the guest of the lamb.

Imagine the wolf and the lamb being together.

The leopard shall lie down with the kid.
What?

The calf and the young lion
Shall browse together with a little child.
Again—the calf and the young lion.
Seriously?

There is a peacefulness.
There is a new world order
That the Prophet Isaiah is inviting us to think about
Through the coming gift of Jesus.

We find that in the Prophet Isaiah.
We will read Isaiah all through the Advent season.

But there is another prophet as well.
And this other prophet we hear about in the Gospel—
And that is John the Baptist,
Who is preparing the road for Jesus.

You know, in our Church,
We have two churches:
St. Matthias Church and Queen of Angels Church.

In Queen of Angels Church,
All of our windows are dedicated to Mary.
And I think it’s the fourth window
As we recount Mary’s life—
And all the windows tell
Of the different moments of Mary’s life.

There is one window that the kids love.
And that’s the window of Mary and Joseph
And Elizabeth and Zachariah meeting together—
The two pregnant women meeting together.

I’ve got a picture of my sister and my cousin,
Both pregnant, posing for a picture.
It reminds me of them.

But there’s this joyful moment
When Mary meets Elizabeth.
And what does John the Baptist do?
He jumps in Elizabeth’s womb.
He’s so excited to be in the presence of the One
That he will prepare the way for.

In this Gospel,
We hear about John the Baptist,
Who is preparing the way for Jesus.

And he goes after the Pharisees and Sadducees.
I mean, he really goes after them.
He calls them a brood of vipers,
And he says that they’re going to be like chaff
That’s burned away.
I mean—that’s serious.

John the Baptist is really going after them
And asking them to offer repentance in their life
And stay focused on the mission of following Jesus.

You know—that’s a good invitation for us today as well.
On the Second Sunday of Advent, as we get close to Christmas,
How are we focused on the mission of Jesus?

You know, a lot of people will call themselves—
We call ourselves—Christians and Catholics,
But do we really commit ourselves to following Jesus,
Or are Easter and Christmas enough for us?

Do we ever challenge ourselves
When those unshared words are forming in our mouth?
Do we ever challenge ourselves when we become somewhat
Judgmental of our sisters and brothers?

Really, as Christian Catholic followers of Jesus our Savior,
We’re called to challenge ourselves
To rise to the occasion—
As John challenged the Sadducees and Pharisees—
So that the new world order can come to pass
As we hear from the Prophet Isaiah,
So that there can be peace and harmony
As we heard in the second reading.

May our generous God give us the courage
In these Advent days to really bring about the order
That God intends for us through His Son Jesus—
An order of peace and humility,
An order of generosity and compassion
With our brothers and sisters.

Let us be bearers with Christ Jesus of that new order.