Friday of the Second Week of Advent
(Isaiah
48:17-19; Matthew 11:16-19)
For those
who do not want to exercise, there is always an excuse. On a weekday, they say they need to get to
work. On a weekend, they say they need
their rest. In today’s gospel Jesus makes
known two excuses his generation uses for not repenting of sin. He says they are like fickle children who
always want to have their way.
In Matthew’s
gospel both John the Baptist and Jesus preach the exact same message. They tell the people, “’Repent for the
Kingdom of God is at hand.’” It has been
said that conversion (another word for repentance) is what the Christian life
is all about. People must repent
continually to reach the perfection of children of God. However, their reluctance to do is made
manifest in the excuses they give. In
today’s gospel, the excuse is that the preacher is either a reprobate or an
ascetic. In either case they indicate
that he is unreliable to follow.
We make
such excuses for not repenting at our own peril. As today’s first reading indicates, we lose when
we follow our whims rather than repent of our faults. It often hurts to change our ways. But once it is done, our joy should eclipse
any pleasure that we gave up. Now is as
good a time as ever to change our ways.
True, Advent is not as penitential as Lent. Nevertheless, we can hear during these four
weeks both John and Jesus calling us to repent.
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