HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Second Sunday of Advent (Year A)

Dec 7, 2025

515

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (11:1-10)

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17)

(R) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.

O God, with your judgment endow the king; and with your justice, the king's son. He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. (R)

Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. (R)

According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David. (R)

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. (R)

May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (15:4-9)

Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by the endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praise to your name.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (3:1-12)

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I tell you, God can raise up children of Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

For the second week of Advent, along with the candle of hope, we have lighted the second purple candle called the Candle of Peace. Peace is something we all want. We want peace in our hearts and minds. We want peace in our relationships. We want peace in our families. We want peace in our neighbourhoods. We want peace in our communities. We want peace in our nations. We want peace in our world. Recognizing the importance of peace in our life, we actively chase after peace. We pray for peace. We offer rituals and make sacrifices for peace. We work for peace. However, despite our deepest desire and great efforts, peace always seems just out of reach. Why is peace so elusive? Is true peace even possible? The answer to these questions depends on another question. What do we mean by peace?

There is a story of a king who announced a prize to the artist who could paint the best picture depicting peace. Many great painters sent several of their best art pieces to the king. One of the pictures among the various masterpieces was of a serene and peaceful lake surrounded by snow-covered trees and mountains. Overhead was a clear blue sky with fluffy clouds. The picture was perfect. Most of the people who viewed the pictures of peace from various artists thought it was the best.

But when the king announced the winner, everyone was shocked. The picture which won the prize had mountains too, but there were rugged and bare. The sky looked very angry. There was lightning. This did not look peaceful at all. It looked as if the artist had mistakenly submitted his painting depicting a storm rather than peace. But if anyone looked closely at the painting, he or she could see a beautiful mother bird sitting calmly on her nest which she had built in a tiny bush growing out of a crack in a rock. The king explained that he chose this picture as the best representation of peace because despite her surroundings, the bird appeared calm and peaceful. He further said that peace is not the absence of noise, disturbance, trials, conflicts, and worries but rather it is a state of mental, emotional and spiritual calmness amidst life's challenges.

This is the kind of peace that today's readings speak about. About 700 years before Jesus, the Assyrian army had invaded and conquered the northern part of Israel, leaving the southern part, Judah, where Isaiah lived and from where the Messiah would come, very vulnerable and under constant threat of attack. They were living in the shadow of violence, war, pain, loss, and destruction. Amid the chaos, the hopelessness of the situation and the impossibility of peace, the prophet Isaiah carried a message of hope and peace.

In today's first reading, Isaiah (11:1-10), the prophet describes a vision of a king from the line of David, endowed with gifts of God, such as wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord, bringing justice to the poor, equality for the oppressed, punishment to the wicked, and faithfulness to God, and establishing a kingdom in which ferocious animals such as, lions, leopards, wolves, and bears would no longer be wild, but would dwell peacefully with tame animals such as cows, goats, sheep and human beings. Moreover, the prophet points out that there would be such peace and safety and security that even children could play with poisonous snakes without fear of harm.

Some people interpreted Isaiah's vision literally, suggesting that God would change the natures of wild animals, making them tame, and peaceful, and harmless, while others saw it as a symbol of restoration of paradise conditions that existed in the Garden of Eden, before the curse of sin, when animals and humans lived together in peace and harmony. Some others believed that the animals represented nations at peace after violence and strife. Particularly, the people of Judah hoped that Hezekiah, their king at the time, would unite Israel and Judah as one nation and defeat all their enemies in the region and bring peace and security to their land where the diversity of people would live together in perfect peace and harmony forever. It is incredible to think of animals that were once prey and predator now living together in harmony, as well as all enemies living peacefully with no threat of violence or harm. Ultimately, Isaiah portrayed a picture of perfect peace.

People hearing this prophecy might have wondered if such a beautiful scene was even possible. We too could be asking the same question. Certainly, our experience of life here and now may indicate that this kind of peace is difficult and impossible. But we shouldn't be asking if such peace is possible or impossible. Rather, we should be asking if it's desirable or not. If it's desirable, then it becomes possible. If we desire such peace, God will make it possible for us. Jesus says, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible", Matthew (19:26). Isaiah indicates that it shall become a reality when people throughout the world will trust in the Lord and know Him personally. Knowing God, in turn, will impel people to submit themselves willingly to do all that God tells them to do. When they do that, they will have peace even in the midst of life's storms. So, when Isaiah spoke about a king who would bring about a time of peace for Israel, He was talking about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the peace He would bring.

When John the Baptist came on the scene, he recalled for the people the dream of peace that Isaiah had prophesied and proclaimed that they needed to "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand", Matthew (3:1). That is, John preached the great need for repentance and God's forgiveness in order for people to make peace with God through Jesus Christ, who was coming into the world, as the basis for real peace and harmony within themselves, others and the world.

Finally, Jesus came and clearly stated, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid", John (14:27). The peace that Jesus was talking about is a peace that "surpasses all human understanding", Philippians (4:7). While the world peace is often temporary and fragile and tied to external circumstances and human efforts, Christ's peace is internal and enduring and anchored in God's power, His presence, and His promises. This is the peace that we can receive through grace as we repent of our sin and turn back to God. We do not need to be afraid because this peace will "guard our hearts and minds", Philippians (4:7).

God has provided sufficient insight into pursuing and finding His peace every day regardless of the circumstances we face. The fact of the matter is - Jesus has offered His peace to us, but it's our choice whether we accept that or we don't. Speaking of such peace, Jesus said, "I have told you all this, so that in me you may have peace", John (16:33). In fact, Jesus doesn't just give peace - He Himself is our peace meaning that by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, God has made it possible for all people to live at peace with one another, Ephesians (2:14). So, if we accept God's offer of peace, we need to do the things He wants us to do.

The first thing we need to do is to make our peace with God. Sin is the major obstacle to peace. The prophet Isaiah says that the wicked are tossing like a raging sea. The reason for this is that there is no peace for the wicked, Isaiah (57:20-21). The prophet Jeremiah warns us of avoiding repentance. He says, "They treat lightly the disaster of my people saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace", Jeremiah (6:14). In other words, no matter how many times we pray or for how long or how hard we pray for peace, it will elude us, even in our day, if we do not repent of our sins and walk in the ways of God. In fact, it will be like the false prophets and leaders in Jeremiah's time who kept promising peace without calling for repentance. So, let us just repent and be at peace with God.

When we make peace with God, we are reconciled with Him through His Son, and that means, we no longer need to carry the burdens of our sin and shame. We are no longer enemies but beloved children of God. And then as children of God, His Peace is infused into our innermost being. As we quietly pray in the light of his presence and walk in His ways, we can sense God's peace growing within us beyond belief and beyond understanding, Philippians (4:7) - the peace that is strong enough to steady us in uncertainty, gentle enough to meet us in weakness, and powerful enough to quiet the noise within us. Now that we have peace with God and the peace of God through Jesus Christ, we'll be able to "live in harmony with one another and glorifying God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ with one voice, welcoming one another, as Christ has welcomed them", Romans (15:5-7). (P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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