When I think of homecoming, it's about high school and college football games returning to their home field after playing multiple road games and all the pomp and circumstance therein involved. That time is now on hold with the Covid-19 pandemic and not knowing if there is a game or if there is even anyone at school to watch and celebrate the outcome. The Second Sunday of Advent is about homecoming but looked at from various perspectives.
Our first reading from the Deutero (meaning "second") Isaiah from Chapters 40 to 55, offers words of comfort to the people of Israel. They have completed their time of exile in Babylon after 70 years and are now returning to their homeland occupied by foreigners and with destruction of all that they knew and held sacred. It is with mixed feelings and much trepidation that they come home. And yet, these chapters prophesy with great assurance that God has forgiven their sinfulness and in reference to Jesus, who will be born nearly 600 years later, that their suffering and glorification will be fulfilled through the birth, passion and resurrection of Christ, their Messiah.
St. Peter's Second Letter, not written by the Apostle and presumed to be the last written document of the New Testament between 100 and 125 AD addresses the second coming of Jesus, not as our Savior, but in judgment of us at the end of time by providing us with a new heaven and earth. The Christians believed that Jesus would return before the Apostles died as part of the continuity of what they saw as fulfillment of their salvation. As the Letter indicates, God's timing and humanity are not the same. God in His love and mercy wants to provide patience to those who need to better understand that believers need to remove obstacles that prevent a relationship with Him. He calls them to instead act with justice and truth and be at peace to be saved.
St. Mark's Gospel combines Isaiah's revelation of God's promise to rebuild and restore relationship with Israel with the precursor, St. John the Baptist, who comes to "Prepare the Way of the Lord" who has come to offer salvation to all who He has created. But those who currently follow John need to purify themselves by repenting from their sins and converting their life to one of holiness. Without that, they will not recognize Jesus as the Son of God who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
As baptized Catholics, we should be able to see ourselves in all three perspectives written above. The Isaiah reading reminds us that though many of us have been away from church physically because of the pandemic, live streaming helps us stay connected with our liturgy as we celebrate the sacrifice of Mass. During these trying times, it also is good to be in contact with other parishioners through brief chats until we return to full worship in the future.
In our second reading, we don't know when we can come home to be one with our faith community. It is all the more important for us to be patient as we continue to have faith, hope and love in God who is always there to take care of us. We need to remove any obstacles which keep us apart from our relationship with the Lord by focusing on the positive aspects of resiliency during this separation.
And, finally, in our Gospel, we wait in anticipation for the birth of Jesus as a reminder to us that God's plan is still in place and to be one with our Lord in thought, word and deed. Now may be the time for us to increase our daily personal holiness by reading scripture or praying the Liturgy of the Hours (prayer of the Church). Another option may be to practice Lectio Divina, a traditional monastic approach to scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word.
Homecoming with God is not a game like I mentioned above. It is a daily process of being connected in positive ways as we spend time with God to get to know Him better, to understand His ways and to do all we can to be the holy person He created us to be to serve Him and all He has created.
Reading 1: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Reading 2: Second Peter 3:8-14
Gospel: Mark 1:1-8
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