Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 7, 2025 - 2nd Sunday of Advent - A
[Isa 11:1-10; Rom 15:4-9; Matt 3:1-12]Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. [Romans] John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judaea 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 on one crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." [Matthew]
The quotation from Isaiah in the gospel scripture for today, from the Gospel According to Matthew, does not appear in the first scripture today from Isaiah! It comes from another part of Isaiah that is traditionally called the Book of Comfort [Isaiah 40:3]. The voice in the desert in Isaiah was seen by the early Christian community as a foretelling of the life and ministry of John the Baptist. The description of his preaching shows colorful and challenging language and a sense of urgency. St. Paul's words in today's second scripture, quoted above, speak to the endurance and encouragement from the scriptures that we can offer to one another. Hope, endurance and encouragement can be sorely needed in the Advent Season because it overlaps "the holidays!"
Children become excited, especially as things like a Chrstimas tree with gifts under it appear. Parents look anxiously at budgets and gift-obligations. Gatherings and parties are planned (sometimes with dread!) Those who are suffering from the loss of employment, loss of health, troubled relationships, etc. may find hope, endurance and encouragement in short supply. But those are gifts that all of us can give in this season. We can "prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths" in what some feel is a desert in their lives. We do not have to be as colorful as John the Baptist. But if we can "welcome" one another as Christ welcomes us, we can go a long way to making this a season of hope, encouragement and endurance for ourselves and everyone else. AMEN
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