On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Last week we had the launch of the Year of the Word, the first Sunday of Advent. This week we receive a clear message from Matthew in his Gospel, a Gospel inspired in him through God, his own relationship with Jesus and those around him and through the acceptance of the Holy Spirit to guide him.  

History buffs can attest to the fact that in those nations led by monarchies or other autocratic figures, each successive king, queen, dictator or despot accedes to the throne with a certain show of power. By flexing their political muscles, a ruler asserts his/her domination over the subjects of the realm, whose loyalty is usually but not always assured. With God, however, the situation is entirely different. No force is exerted, nor is there a display of might; rather we are invited to accept God’s reign, i.e. allow the saving will of God into our lives and in doing so we walk in the footsteps of Jesus and accept the guiding help of the Holy Spirit.  

In today’s Gospel John the Baptist explains by word and example precisely how we should go about preparing a welcome for Jesus. Those who came to hear John speak, in the Judean desert near the Jordan, were told, “Reform your lives!”. Reform  or  repentance  indicates  that  welcoming  the  reign  of  God  requires  a conversion. In Hebrew, the word for conversion, or shubh, implies that a person has found himself/herself on a wrong path or going in a wrong direction and has made a complete about-face or turnaround. In Greek, the term for conversion is metanoia, which means an absolute change of mind and will. Conversion is not simply  a  personal  decision  to  better  oneself;  rather  it  is  the  free  response  by someone to God’s calling. In other words, conversion means offering a welcome to God who will continually come and knock at our door and we must decide the welcome each of us will provide when, how and if we answer that knock.  

Another way of understanding conversion is to look at it from the perspective of how we might identify ourselves with Jesus.  One of Matthew’s objectives in writing his gospel was to help his community to explore and assert their own identity. In doing so, it was hoped that an individual would identify themselves with Jesus through every thought, word, deed and decision and in doing so would be in harmony with God. In other words, the individual would be a disciple of Jesus and welcome God and Jesus into every part of their life, provide good example and be a disciple of Jesus.  

This is the challenge for each of us this Advent Season. This Advent (like every Advent) we are not only called on to reflect on our lives and to properly prepare for a celebration of the birth of Jesus but also and more importantly prepare for second arrival of Jesus coming into the world, As Christians we acknowledge through scripture that one day Jesus will be revealed to us again. This is an integral part of our belief and through the Book of Revelation are aware of what that second arrival will mean for the Salvation of the World. So, each of us needs to prepare and to look at our lives – that means how we conduct our lives and to reflect on every thought, word, deed and decision. We need to be honest and open with ourselves and seek answers to questions such as: are we in harmony with God; are we good disciples of Jesus; do we allow the Holy Spirit into our lives; are we prepared, are we ready for Jesus?

Finally, I leave you with the thought and final question to reflect on in that Matthew in the Gospel makes the point that religious heritage will no longer be enough grounds for salvation. What does this mean to us in 2019? 
 
Clearly we are called through the Word of God to  ensure that this Christmas is not only a celebration of the Birth of Jesus but is a good and sound reflective period which allows us to decide what we need to change and prepare for the second arrival of Jesus