PREPARING THE WORLD AND THE HEART FOR THE PEACE OF CHRIST
Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year A Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12 The Second Sunday of Advent draws our attention to the kind of world God desires and the kind of hearts God expects us to have as we await Christ. The readings do not speak of passive waiting but of an active, transformative preparation. Advent is a season that invites us to work with God so that the peace Christ brings can take flesh in our world. The First Reading (Isaiah 11:1-10) is set in a turbulent period of Israel’s history. The Davidic monarchy had collapsed into corruption, and foreign powers - especially Assyria - threatened the very survival of God’s people. It is into this hopeless setting that Isaiah announces: “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” The “stump” is an image of devastation - a once-great tree cut down. Yet God promises that from what appears dead, new life will burst forth. This is a message deeply relevant to today’s world: when n...
