To Re-turn, To Re-orient Our Hearts to Him

HOMILY: Second Sunday of Advent (C)

Luke 3:1-6

5 December 2021 

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

Back in London, I facilitated an RCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). One of the most common questions asked was “Why was the baptism of adults more common in the past?” These days, we baptize babies more than adults, right?  Well, the growth of the Church, especially in the first centuries, really did come largely through the baptism of adults. For many, the Good News of Jesus Christ came to them later in life. St. Augustine himself said this when he felt the tugging of conversion in his heart, “I had been extremely miserable in adolescence, miserable from its very onset, and as I prayed to you for the gift of chastity I had even pleaded, ‘Grant me chastity and self-control, but please not yet.’ I was afraid that you might hear me immediately and heal me forthwith of the morbid lust which I was more anxious to satisfy than to snuff out.” (St. Augustine: Confessions, Book VIII, Chap. 7)

It is natural for people not to want to be rushed nor forced into things — we want to move and make things happen according to our own pace. We like to tarry in what gives us pleasure as we like to tread paths of least resistance and make an effort to avoid issues. We put off the difficult choices and delay that which shakes up our lives beyond our comfort zones. “Saka na. Puro na lang delay.” Thus, death-bed conversions became another common occurrence back then. This proved to be attractive to many because it promised the best of both worlds — “You can have it all now [of the material world] … [and you can later] gain heaven just in the nick of time.”  They were of the mentality that salvation was to be desired but on one’s own terms. It cannot be discounted that there are still those today who adhere to this perspective. Just before the lockdown in 2019, I attended a birthday party of a friend who turned 70 years old. In the course of the dinner conversation, I overheard one of his friends jokingly telling him… “Makipag-ayos ka na sa Diyos, pare. Panahon na.” Must we really wait till we are in our twilight years before we live as God asks us to? 

In today’s gospel passage, John the Baptist brings to the people’s attention the urgent need for repentance in order to “see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6). In fulfilment of his role as precursor of the Messiah, he helps people prepare themselves to recognize and receive the salvation Jesus brings. John emphasises that “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” is an essential requirement to truly experience the fullness of salvation from our God. “Tama lang naman.” He was addressing a people who have tailored their lives according to their own will and no longer the Lord’s will. John the Baptist echoes the words of the prophet Isaiah as he declares: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth.” (Isaiah 40:3-4; Luke 3:4-6) If we had DPWH do this, it would take forever and cost billions! This is to say the job of setting one’s life straight is not an easy task.  Reorienting one’s heart to God may require turning aspects of one’s life inside out so the sooner you get started, the better. The effort to change is not without its reward. If you review the entire passage from Baruch, it details how the promise of God’s salvation would be marked by long awaited reversals of fortune — “the robe of mourning will be replaced by the splendour of glory”; “tears are turned into shouts of rejoicing”; “those scattered by their enemies would be brought back by God”. (Baruch 5:1-9)

When we think of repentance, we may think it is a definitive change of heart that sets one on the right path once and for all, resolved to live a more responsible and “blameless life”. However, realistically, repentance is more about constantly reviewing our actions and feeling sorrow and regret for wrongdoings.  Life constantly challenges our resolve to live blamelessly and we must constantly renew that resolve.  Repentance is essentially a way of life. It is to be understood as an ongoing process whereby we need to be converted time and again. Repentance for many of us is not a one-time change of heart, but the daily transformation of our lives. Notice that in confession, we even find that through the years, we keep coming back saying the same sins. This should not discourage us. The lure of the passing things of this world can be too much for us that we get easily distracted and side-tracked from the right path.  We are given many chances by God through the many experiences of our lives to re-turn or re-orient our hearts to Him.  Do we really want to repent just the day before we die? It is very risky. How can we truly say that we have truly changed our life when there is no more chance to prove it since we have reached our end?  Through our readings, we are told to prepare for tomorrow by “repenting” today. 

It is quite interesting that in the gospel introduction the person of John the Baptist is introduced in direct reference to those who perpetrated injustice and division among the Jewish people at that time. The person of John who calls them to repentance was pointing out to people that to obtain ultimate relief from the oppression they were experiencing at the hands of the Roman invaders and their own Jewish leaders, personal renewal would be required of them. This change has to begin in them. They need to be faithful to God and learn how to trust in Him alone.  Many of my friends from London are encouraging me to go back there and stay there for good. I jokingly tell them that I will respond to them after the elections. I personally fear for the Filipino people if we end up with leaders who lie and make false promises to simply get elected. My prayer is that we will really choose well who our next leaders will be.  We will only see a better Philippines if we choose to entrust our future & the future of our children in the hands of leaders who will prioritize the best interest of our people… not their own. There is this tweet I saw… “A friend posted this point to ponder… ‘Alipin culture’: Yung may servant leader nang ibinibigay sa inyo pero hanap niyo, amo.”  Nakakalungkot. Sana magbago na tayo. Sana natuto na tayo. 

Parang kasing baliktad na ang mundo ngayon. Ang mali, nagiging tama. We look around and blame the mess on other people’s mistakes and try to fix them and their errors. Patalsikin si ganito, ikulong si ganyan, palitan na lang. Mas mainam kung simulan nating itama ang kamalian sa buhay natin. That is how society will change — with each of us choosing the good. It is not easy to transcend the values of the world and pursue the higher good. Maaga pa lang, subukan na natin magbagong buhay. Gawin na natin ang nararapat ngayon pa lang.

The seriousness we give to repentance is a measure of the depth of our need for God and the salvation He offers. With this perspective, our Advent season becomes more than just a remembrance of something that happened two thousand years ago or an anticipation of some future event. It becomes a yearning for a transformed life (freedom from bondage) in the here and now. The more keenly we feel the need for redemption, the more we might go the extra mile to change our perspective, to make the right choices and to choose always what is true, good and just.