Second Sunday of Advent

Maryknoll Sr. Ann Hayden invites us to be hopeful this Advent. This reflection is included in our 2025 Advent Reflection Guide, along with discussion questions, prayers and quotes from Maryknoll missioners and affiliates.

Pope Leo XIV, in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te, said “Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor. The same Jesus who tells us, ‘The poor you will always have with you’ also promises the disciples: ‘I am with you always.’”

Our new pope goes on to say, “We likewise think of [Jesus] saying: ‘Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ This is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation: contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord. In the poor, he continues to speak to us.”

We live in a world similar to the times of the prophet Isaiah when Israel was being attacked by the Assyrians and Egyptians. Today there are wars happening around the world, from Ukraine to Sudan.

Here in the United States, which once proudly welcomed the poor and weary to our shores from many nations, those who are poor are sent away empty and homeless, the immigrant is shunned and refugees fleeing war or gang violence are sent to jail or away to third countries, while the rich live in luxurious homes and the president constructs a new ballroom.

The first reading from Isaiah proclaims the arrival of David, the son of Jesse who is righteous and will heal a wounded people and proclaim a time of peace and prosperity. People of faith everywhere are called to help build peaceful space where all are welcomed as neighbor and encouraged by the warm embrace of love and community support.

The second reading encourages us to be steadfast, to live in harmony, and to have hope. We need to gaze at our lives with a love that takes action for the real truth, because love and hope know the way to inclusion and mutual mercy.

The quote from the prophet Isaiah that is read with the Alleluia acclamation before the proclamation of the Gospel this Sunday is particularly joyful and encouraging: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” The command to “prepare the way” and “make straight his paths” suggests that people have an active role to play. We can and should clear spiritual and moral obstacles in our lives. And the term “all flesh” breaks down boundaries and offers limitless hope that God’s grace is not restricted to one group.

In the gospel reading from Matthew, we hear John the Baptist quoting Isaiah to “prepare the way of the Lord,” and “make straight the path” of God among us. If we are indeed on a journey together, then we must slow down, spend quality time among friends and family while also inviting diversity among us by welcoming the “other.”

The imagery of clearing paths is an analogy for repentance and change. It suggests that the obstacles to salvation are not insurmountable mountains but figurative rough roads that can be smoothed out through intentional moral and spiritual effort.

In essence, John the Baptist is telling us “Get ready! You can do it! Something incredible and good is about to happen for everyone! Don’t miss it!”

Photo courtesy of Maryknoll Mission Archives.