Christ the Cornerstone

Blessed Mother and John the Baptist prepare us for Christ’s coming

Pope Benedict XVI once wrote that the two great figures of Advent are the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. Both prepare us for the coming of Christ—Mary, by her wholehearted acceptance of God’s will for her, and John, by his prophetic witness and his baptism of repentance.

According to the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent (Mt 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. (Mt 3:1-6)

St. Matthew tells us that John is the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy. Although he was a member of the priestly caste, he renounced his privileges and chose a life of prayer and asceticism in the desert. He announced the coming of One far greater than himself, and he urged all who faithfully awaited the coming Messiah to acknowledge their sins and seek God’s forgiveness.

Sunday’s first reading (Is 11:1-10) gives us a taste of Isaiah’s prophetic vision:

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. (Is 11:4-9)

We long for the peace that only Christ can bring, and so we are keenly aware that we must pray, and work, for the advent of the Lord of both justice and mercy. We believe that he came among us 2,000 years ago, that he is present with us now (especially in the Holy Eucharist), and that he will come again to fulfill his promise of redemption for all who wait for him in joyful hope. John is his herald; he urges us to prepare for his coming.

On Monday, Dec. 8, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the new Eve, the mother of all the living, and the only one who, by the grace of God, was born without sin. Her response to the angel is the model for all of us who aspire to be faithful missionary disciples of Jesus Christ: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).

John challenges us to acknowledge our sins and repent. Mary shows us the way. By surrendering self-will to the holy will of God, and by offering ourselves completely to the Lord as instruments of his peace, we can ready ourselves for his coming—past, present and future.

In the second reading for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Eph 1:3-6, 11-12), St. Paul offers a blessing that affirms our special election as sons and daughters of “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love, he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. (Eph 1:3-6)

This is our unshakable Advent hope: That Christ will come again and allow us to assume our rightful places as sisters and brothers in the one Family of God.

May the vision shared by our Mother Mary and St. John the Baptist come true for each of us this Advent season. †