December 9^th. SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Gospel: Luke 3:1-6
Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio
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Luke gives us a list of the great and influential people at the time of Jesus, but then tells us that the word of God came to a man in the desert, far removed from the corridors of power. If we wish to hear the word of God this Advent, then we must enter into the desert, detaching ourselves from the busy centres of influence and activity that we normally find refuge in. We naturally flee from the silence and emptiness within us, filling our moments with noise and diversion. But God can only speak to us if we are listening, and listening requires detachment from our usual idols of distraction. The Lord is coming and brings salvation. Advent is a time of levelling the obstacles within us that obstruct his saving action.

Luke records the historic individuals who held power at the time of Jesus

Almost half of this week’s Gospel is devoted to a list of names, and one might ask, “What has this to do with the Word of God?” But this passage is extremely important for the story that Luke wishes to tell. The Gospel is not a fable, and neither is it a list of moral principles or abstract values of the sort that sometimes dominates our understanding of the faith. No, the Gospel is a concrete story that unfolds in the lives of historical individuals. As we go through this list of characters, we are being reminded that the Gospel is something tangibly concrete and real.

God’s word is not directed to the great or powerful, but to a man who is an outsider. Similarly, we sometimes expect to hear God’s word in a particular situation, whilst God is trying to speak to us in a different manner altogether.

Luke’s list begins with Tiberius Caesar, the Emperor of Rome, and Pontius Pilate, his governor in Judaea. Other rulers are also listed, whose kingdoms are not altogether pertinent to the story of Jesus. Then the religious leaders, Annas and Caiaphas, are mentioned. The point of the passage is to give a comprehensive chronicle of the structures of power that prevailed at the time. But then, after giving us the names of the great and powerful, we are told that the word of the Lord was making itself heard in another place entirely! None of the influential or powerful people, not even the religious leaders, were chosen by God to receive his word. The elected one in Scripture is often an outsider. John the Baptist was the son of a priest, so he was not exactly the last person in society, but he was completely extraneous to the corridors of religious and political power. It is on God’s initiative that his word is heard. In our daily lives, we sometimes expect to hear God’s word in various fixed places or situations, but we find that God speaks to us in a different, unexpected, manner altogether. This Advent, if we want to hear the voice of God, perhaps we are looking in the wrong place. Our expectations and ways of looking at the world are overly influenced by the idols of power and success. We tend to think that the popular and influential things in life are important. But the word of God is often not heard through the obvious channels of influence, but arises from the creativity of God. And the central issue is whether or not we are disposed towards listening to that word. If God wishes to speak to us, it is not of any consequence whether or not we are in the court of Tiberius Caesar. When God wishes to speak to us, what is important is that we are willing to listen.

In order to receive the word of God, I must detach myself from the distractions of life and enter into the desert

The Gospel speaks of the word of the Lord coming to John in the desert, and then it speaks of a voice crying in the desert, “Prepare a way for the Lord!” There are two phases here: listening to the word and proclaiming the word. If I am to listen to the Word of God then I must be silent. In order to be able to listen, I must be in the desert in this sense. To receive the Word of God, John the Baptist had to live this time of preparation in the desert, cut off from everything else. The meaning of the word “desert” is very interesting. In Latin it means to cut myself off from whatever holds me. One who is in the desert is one who is unfettered by things. For as long as we remain tied to things, it is impossible for Christ to announce to us his coming. To hear the word of God we must turn off the television, i-pod, and mobile phone. We lack the courage to do so because then we feel isolated from the things that we have made the centre of our world. What are those things? They are Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Annas and Caiaphas. The call to enter the desert is a call to detach ourselves from the influence of the things that normally command our attention and obedience. That is why, of all these people, it is John alone who hears the word of God.

The Lord is coming and he brings salvation. I raise many obstacles within myself that block the Lord’s path and close the way to salvation. Advent is a time for filling in the valleys and lowering the mountains that obstruct God’s saving action in our lives

If the first phase is the reception of the word of God in the desert, the second phase is the proclamation of the word of God from the desert. The desert is the great metaphor of desolation. The Hebrew word for desert - mibar - means “where no voice is heard.” The human being naturally flees from this emptiness and silence and tries to join himself to the usual centres of power, bustle and activity. Even when we try to go into this interior desert and detach ourselves from things, we discover that we have a “radio” and “mobile phone” inside of ourselves as well, making noise continually, a series of false havens, escape routes, inner refuges, all feverishly working so that we do not experience the emptiness and silence of our lives. These interior valleys and mountains make the way of the Lord difficult. God is coming to us, but we raise a series of obstacles to hinder his progress in our hearts! When all is said and done, it is salvation on his terms that we are unwilling to accept. The Gospel passage ends with the line, “All mankind shall see the salvation of God”. We flee from salvation because we prefer to be completely autonomous and self-sufficient. Our very talents and capacities become obstacles to the work of the Lord in us. Our disappointments and sadness are valleys that prevent us from allowing the Lord to enter in. In the end, the issue is this: God wishes to speak to the “poor one” inside of me. He wishes to speak to me personally, to that desert in me where I am alone and where only he can enter. I flee from this inner desert with many palliatives and distractions that prevent me from coming face to face with myself. God is the only one who knows how to enter the secret room in our hearts and speak authentically to us.