SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Most teenagers don’t get along
with their parents – at least for a while.
Teens discover who they are as individuals, and one way they show
independence is to distance themselves from their parents. Parents hope their children will be
independent one day, but some of the days before then can be painful. Parents and teens sometimes hurt one another
when they really don’t mean to. Teens
become more secretive; parents feel out of control. Tempers flare; words are exchanged; a
relationship that once was beautiful sometimes gets broken.
Most teenagers don’t get along
with parents at least for a while, but in time these relationships reform. As children become adults they appreciate
what their parents have done. Parents
come to enjoy this new person who has grown through the challenges of
adolescence. So even though nearly everybody
goes through a difficult period, people come out of it, and these relationships
gain new respect and love. They are an
example of forgiveness.
We all commit sin. We all offend people. We regretfully offend people we love. We hurt our parents, our children, the people
we date, even the people we go to church with. When we hurt the people we love, what we most
want back is forgiveness. It usually
happens – and not just when the other person changes. Sometimes we realize our mistakes, and the
ones we’ve offended, the ones who saw our mistakes
before we did, they forgive. Usually the
miracle of love comes back again, stronger, newer and more exciting than it was
before. Forgiveness does not happen with
every broken relationship, but when it does, we realize what a precious thing
it is.
Forgiveness is one of the signs of
the coming of Christ. Even before Jesus
began his ministry, John the Baptist proclaimed repentance for the forgiveness
of sins. John expected people to change
their lives, to direct their hearts back toward God. When they did, he baptized them for the
forgiveness of their sins. His baptism prepared
the way for Christ, who makes us whole again.
John the Baptist appears in the
gospel on this Second Sunday of Advent, and he proclaims the same message to us. Repent, he says. Own up to your mistakes. Acknowledge your faults. Can’t think of any? Think then about the relationships you wish
were stronger than they are. Think about
how you contributed to the distance you feel.
Once we discover what needs fixing, we can receive forgiveness.
The message of Christmas is peace
and love. Between now and then, let us
place ourselves, our sins, and our brokenness in the