Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Advent
“John the Baptist appeared in the desert… People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him.” Mk 1:1-8
Bishop Barron suggested an offbeat activity to do during Advent (“What Are You Waiting For?” Word on Fire). He said, “Find a big, complex puzzle, one that will take plenty of time and patience. Make this puzzle your Advent project. As you assemble the puzzle think of each piece as some aspect of your life: a relationship, a loss, a failure, a great joy, an adventure, a place where you lived, something you shouldn’t have said, an act of generosity. So often the events of our lives seem like a thousand pieces of a puzzle lying incoherently and disconnectedly before us. As you patiently put the puzzle together, meditate on the fact that God is slowly, according to his own plan and purpose, ordering the seemingly unrelated and incongruous events of our lives into a picture of great beauty.”
I see a connection between the meditation and the scene described in today’s gospel. People came from Jerusalem and all over Judea to hear John the Baptist. The Jordan River was a one or two-day journey. Why did they leave the comfort of their home, travel across the wilderness, to see John? Some might have made the long journey because they were curious and wanted to see firsthand this crazy prophet that they had heard about.
Others, however, felt something was wrong in their life. The pieces of the puzzle were not fitting together. Some pieces of the puzzle were missing. The image being assembled together was confused, not a picture of great beauty. The portrait of their life was fuzzy and the boundaries were not well defined.
People came to John because he provided a new vision of how this puzzle can come together. He shouted across the Jordan river a message of hope: “Prepare the way for the Lord…. One mightier than I is coming… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
His message contained a promise. This Spirit of God will bring the radiant dawn of a new day upon the dreary landscape of their life. The people came in great numbers, drawn by this life-changing message and seeking an answer to the question: “What must I do?” What must I do so that the pieces of this puzzle make sense? What must I do to assemble my life into a picture of great beauty?
Bishop Barron’s meditation suggests the picture of our life is complete. It is our job to simply follow the will of God and assemble the pieces in the proper place. On one level this is true.
On another level, we can imagine that each piece we pick up is an opportunity to change the landscape of our life. Each piece is a new beginning. Each piece can bring a new glory to God. The image on each piece has yet to be painted.
This Gospel of Mark starts with the words, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ…” or “The beginning of the good news…” The gospel doesn’t end with the words, “the end.” The gospel message continues on in us. As we rightly assemble the pieces of our life toward God, we continue to announce this message of victory. Through Jesus Christ, God has conquered the forces of sin and despair, and even death itself. Only through God do the puzzle pieces of our life make sense.
Imagine each piece is blank.
The next moment of your life is a new piece of the puzzle. How will you define its shape and color? The piece could bring about a new hope, or dovetail with the old patterns of despair. The piece could demonstrate a new patience, or dovetail with old habits of annoyance. The piece could bring about a new confidence, or dovetail with the same old doubts. The piece could give life, or take away life.
Through the victory of God proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have the power to change the landscape of our life. What needs to be on the next piece of the puzzle of your life?
Many parts of the puzzle of your life have already been assembled. Around the edges, some parts of the puzzle are pleasing to behold, moments of love and joy, peace and kindness. Other parts of the puzzle are not, those times of pain and regret and sin. The beautiful part of the gospel is that no matter how many dark and ugly places of the puzzle there are, the very next piece can bring God glory. The very next piece can bring beauty and meaning to the whole puzzle.
You have a choice. The next piece of your puzzle could be the same as every other piece. Or the next piece of your puzzle could truly be “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God.”