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Bar 5:1-9
Phil 1:4-6, 8-11
Lk 3:1-6 God has “begun a good work” in each of us (2nd Reading) when he called us, through faith and baptism, to live in Christ and to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness.” Advent is meant to accomplish growth in this fruit in our lives. By that growth, we then work together to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Gospel), whom the First Reading makes clear is a God of Justice. “Every valley shall be filled” – the valleys where people languish because their rights are trampled, their dignity forgotten, and their lives thrown onto the outskirts of society. “Every mountain and hill shall be made low” – the mountains of pride whereby we think our own choices determine what is right and wrong, rather than submitting our choices to the truth that became visible when Christ was born. This is a time of year when prayers and thoughts of “peace on earth” come naturally into our lives. The first reading speaks of “the peace of justice.” Peace does not simply mean that wars stop. Peace means that nobody is so victimized that a war is the only way to defend them. Peace comes only when justice is restored. The Advent journey of God’s people is a journey of fighting for the God-given rights of every human being – from the unborn child to the prisoner on death row. Getting engaged in the work of justice, in the light of Christ, is the way to celebrate Advent and prepare the world for Christmas.
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