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First Reading: Isaiah 11: 1-10
Psalm: 72: 1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Second Reading: Romans 15: 4-9
Gospel: Matthew 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.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
For I tell you,
God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor
and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Anchor Verse
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 3: 2
🔎 Lens: The Wilderness Before the Welcome
Pope Francis, in his 2019 Angelus address for the Second Sunday of Advent, said something most of us would rather not hear: “John the Baptist does not offer consolation, but truth. And sometimes the truth hurts.”
John shows up in the wilderness wearing camel hair, eating locusts, and announcing that the comfortable religious establishment needs to repent just as much as the obvious sinners. This isn’t the warm Advent we prefer—the one with candlelight and carols. This is the Advent that names what’s actually wrong.
The Catechism (CCC 1430) defines repentance as metanoia—not just feeling sorry, but a radical reorientation of one’s entire life toward God. It’s the Greek word for “change your mind,” but it means more than updating an opinion. It means turning around. Facing a different direction. Walking a different way.
St. John Chrysostom wrote that repentance is not about wallowing in past failures, but about choosing a new future. “Have you sinned? Enter the sanctuary and repent… Do not despair,” he urged. But he also knew this: you can’t enter the sanctuary while pretending you don’t need it.
John the Baptist stands in the wilderness and says: The King is coming. Make the road ready. And the first work of preparation isn’t decoration—it’s demolition. The obstacles have to go.
Reflection Prompts
- John calls the religious leaders “brood of vipers” because they showed up for the ritual without the repentance. Where in your spiritual life are you going through motions without actually changing?
- “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” What would the fruit of repentance look like in your life right now? Not what you’d feel or say, but what would actually be different?
- What are you still clutching that keeps your hands too full to receive what God wants to give you this Advent? Name it specifically.
- John prepared the way by making rough places smooth and crooked paths straight. What’s one “crooked path” in your own life—a pattern, a rationalization, a compromise—that needs straightening before you can receive Christ well?
Weekly Practice
At Mass
During the Confiteor (the “I confess to almighty God…”), don’t rush through it.
When you say “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault,” pause for three seconds after.
In that pause, don’t list every sin you’ve ever committed. Just notice: Is there one specific thing—one pattern, one relationship, one habit—that you’ve been avoiding naming?
You don’t have to fix it right now. Just let yourself notice it. That’s the beginning of repentance: seeing clearly.
After Mass
Pick one small area where you know something needs to change.
Not the biggest, most dramatic sin. Not the thing you’ve struggled with for decades. Just one small, specific thing where you’ve been going through motions instead of actually changing.
Examples:
- You say you want to be more patient, but you still snap at interruptions
- You say family matters, but you still prioritize email over dinner conversation
- You say you trust God, but you still lie awake catastrophizing
This week, when you catch yourself in that pattern, stop mid-action. You don’t have to have the perfect response. Just stop. Name it out loud: “I’m doing it again.”
Then take one different action. Even a tiny one.
That’s repentance. Not a complete transformation. Just turning around. Even for a moment.
If you’ve been walking with Tria Via for 8 weeks, consider pausing for this reflection.
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