Homily on the readings for Dec. 10, Friday of the II week of Advent
“If you would hearken to My commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea.” This is a heartening promise: if we obey God’s plan for our lives, He will bless us. The blessings won’t always come in the form of material prosperity, but we are guaranteed spiritual prosperity and eternity in heaven, which is what really matters.
But God says, “if you would”, not “when you do.” The fact is, sometimes we don’t listen to God’s commandments and desires. It’s the situation that Jesus addresses in the Gospel reading today: there were people who heard John the Baptist and Jesus, and did not receive the message with open hearts; instead, they criticized the messengers and looked for excuses not to heed God’s will.
Advent is a time of “making straight the way of the Lord” and removing obstacles to His coming more fully into our lives. It’s a good time for us to look at our lives and ask ourselves if in any way we are wary or distrustful of the sacrifices God might be asking from us, and if we are making excuses not to listen. If we see that we are, let us be encouraged by the readings today and remember that those who trust in the Lord and follow His will are always rewarded. As the psalm today says, “Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked… but delights in the law of the Lord”.
Perpetual Learner 