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Second Sunday of Advent (A)

December 07, 2025

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Collect

Almighty and merciful God,
may no earthly undertaking hinder those
who set out in haste to meet your Son,
but may our learning of heavenly wisdom
gain us admittance to his company.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen. (RM)

First Reading Is 11:1-10

On that day: 1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2,7-8,12-13,17

R/. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

Second Reading Rom 15:4-9

Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name.”

Alleluia Lk 3:4,6

Gospel Mt 3:1-12

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” 4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, John said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 “Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Catena Nova

The Lord Jesus began his preaching of the Gospel with the admonition: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt 4:17).” His forerunner, John the Baptist, began his in the same way: “Repent,” he said, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt 3:2).” Today, for those who will not repent at the approach of the kingdom of heaven, the reproof of the Lord Jesus is the same. As he points out himself, “You cannot expect to see the kingdom of heaven coming. The kingdom of heaven,” he says elsewhere, “is within you (Lk 17:21).” Each of us would be wise therefore to take to heart the advice of his teacher, and not waste this present time. It is now that our Savior offers us his mercy; now, while he still spares the human race. Understand that it is in hope of our conversion that he spares us, for he desires no one’s damnation. As for when the end of the world will be, that is God’s concern. Now is the time for faith (St. Augustine of Hippo).

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.... These things were said because God was about to come to the wilderness, which had been impenetrable and inaccessible for a whole age. For all the nations were empty of the knowledge of God: access to them had been prohibited to all the people of God and the prophets. That was why that voice ordered a way to be prepared for the Word of God, and the pathless and rugged lands levelled, so that at his coming, our God might find the road clear for his advance. Prepare the way of the Lord: this is the Gospel preaching, the new consolation, the ardent desire that the salvation of God come to the knowledge of all people (Eusebius of Caesarea).

The Lord is love; his coming shows him as love most singular, the love that gives itself most freely, the love that is God’s alone: agape. Because he is agape, he comes, and because his coming is agape it is judgement. His mere presence passes judgment on the evil in us because that presence is love, because evil is its opposite. Love sets free the powers of redeemed life, the love of God given to us. What faith and baptism had grounded in us and sin restricted can grow and develop once more. “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” The judgement which this coming of Christ in the Mystery brings can cause the growth of our redemption until the other judgement give it completion. So the Church goes joyfully into Advent, “look up, and lift up your heads; it means that the time draws near for your deliverance (Emiliana Lohr).

The Savior, then, who is coming to us is the clothing which we are to put on over our spiritual nakedness. Here let us admire the goodness of our God, who, remembering that we hid ourselves after our sin, because we were naked, promises himself to become our clothing, and to cover with his Divinity the misery of human nature. Let us, therefore, be on the watch for the day and the hour when he will come to us, and take precautions against the drowsiness which comes of custom and self-indulgence. The light will soon appear; may its first rays be witness of our innocence, or at least of our repentance (Prosper Gueranger).

The desire of old was sustained solely by hope, but it is now a confident desire, founded on the consoling reality of the Redemption already accomplished. Although historically completed [twenty] centuries ago, this longing should be actualized daily, renewed in ever deeper and fuller reality in every Christian soul. The spirit of the Advent liturgy, commemorating the age-long expectation of the Redeemer, will prepare us to celebrate the mystery of the Word made flesh by arousing in each one of us an intimate, personal expectation of the renewed coming of Christ to our soul. This coming is accomplished by grace; to the degree in which grace develops and matures in us, it becomes more copious, more penetrating, until it transforms the soul into an alter Christus (Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene).

The season of Advent is like springtime in nature, when everything is renewed and so is fresh and healthy. Advent is also meant to do this to us--to refresh us and make us healthy, to be able to receive Christ in whatever form he may come to us (St. Teresa of Calcutta).

One day we shall have to “raise our heads” and look into the face of him who comes as the Son of Man, for he is after all the God of eternity. And from his countenance all will look at us: all those around us through whom we were good or guilty. A voice will come from the mouth: What you did—or did not—do to the least of my brethren. That voice from the face will not die away and will fill our eternity from end to end. Shall we be able to raise our heads with the confidence of the forgiven and the living toward that face of the Son of Man? (Karl Rahner)

Homily

Luhansk. Donetsk. Donbas. These places are again in the news as a supposed peace plan is under discussion to end the war in Ukraine. Prior to the Russian invasion we North Americans might have been hard-pressed to pronounce these places much less find them on a map. The relative peace and prosperity we enjoy makes it hard to imagine — and easy to forget — the suffering of untold millions across the globe. And while the world’s attention has been focused on Putin’s war, other humanitarian crises continue unabated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaza, and South Sudan to name the most pressing. Energy and food crises will make this winter once again a hardship for a large portion of the human race — beginning with Ukraine — and only God knows what weather disaster may strike due to climate change in “safer” parts of the globe. It’s all overwhelming.

Of course, the impact of strife closer to home is always felt more keenly: in families, on city streets, in personal and political life. Economic woes threatening recession and inflation squeezing household budgets are uppermost at the present time. Hopefully, we might have some room for concerns with a broader focus including the homeless, immigrants, people suffering from mental illness or addiction. Such matters of interest make sure we have a social, and not merely a personal, conscience. Truth is, we are responsible not only for the home front, but for all of humanity: no matter how helpless we feel over the magnitude of problems confronting neighborhoods, cities, nations and the world.

The liturgy helps us adopt such a broader perspective. Like the prophet Isaiah’s who foresaw a day when the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord. When David’s offspring shall be set up as a signal for the nations: a light the Gentiles shall seek out. (I) The scriptures widen narrow paths of mind and heart. Like the Pharisees had who boasted, We have Abraham as our father, and to hell with the rest. Funny how John the Baptist thought they were the chaff whom the Messiah would burn with unquenchable fire. (G). Both Isaiah and John might well have thought only of their kin and country, but they both sensed God’s universal desire to save the human race instead:

On the Day when the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb: the Russian with the Ukrainian. And the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the American with the Venezuelan. When the cow and the bear shall be neighbors: the Yemeni and the Saudi Arabian. Together their young shall rest. [And] the lion shall eat hay like the ox: the Palestinian and the Israeli. When the baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair: the weakest members of our society feeling safe again on our streets and in their homes. For there shall be no harm or ruin on all God’s holy mountain. (cf. I)

Such a vision is no doubt included in Paul’s reminder to the Romans: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope (II): Advent hope — hope that all the tragedies of human life, whether personal or social, past or present, forgotten or unforgotten, will be healed on the Day Christ returns.

For Advent does not cater to the sentiment that often saps Christmas of its power to restore confidence and encourage the fainthearted. This first season of the church year is decked with somber purple rather than boughs of holly; with hymns about the future rather than a silent night long ago; with candles whose light may be hard to see circling a plain wreath rather than tinsel reflecting colored lights on artificial trees and, finally, a fearsome figure wearing camel’s hair and eating locusts and wild honey telling us to Repent (G) rather than someone in a bright red suit saying “Ho, Ho, Ho.” Such alternatives and their accompanying mood is all about preparing the way of the Lord, making straight his paths, [so that] all flesh may see the salvation of God — no matter what the world outside is doing to celebrate the “holiday season.” (Cf. Gospel Acclamation).

That’s how we can experience Paul’s blessing this Advent — hoping for everyone, near and far, that God will confirm the promises made to Jew and Gentile alike: May the God of endurance and encouragement grant [us] to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord [we] may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II) Now and forever. Amen.

Intercessions (Joe Milner; The Sunday Website)

For the Church: that through our baptism with Spirit and fire, we may courageously live the Gospel and be instruments for the transformation for the world.

For greater awareness: that the Spirit will help us recognize the many roots that have nourished and helped our faith to blossom so that we may continue to deepen our discipleship and bear abundant fruit.

For the prophets in our day, for those who call us to face the truth, live the truth, and speak the truth to one another: that the Spirit of God will strengthen them, inspire their words and deeds, and guide them in presenting a convincing message to hungry hearts.

For the renewal of all of creation: that God will heal the divisions amongst peoples and the wounds within nature so that God’s plan for the earth may flower and that we may benefit from the blessings of creation.

For the transformation of society: that leaders may recognize the root causes of evil, poverty, racism, and abuse so that new and constructive efforts may produce a just and life-giving society.

For all who are ill: that the coming of Christ will bring healing, freedom from addiction, and courage to live life fully each day.

For an end to violence in our cities and families: that the Spirit of God will transform hearts, help people to recognize the dignity of each person, and disrupt the plans of those who seek to injure or kill others.

For an end to discrimination: that God will open minds and hearts, end the marginalization of vulnerable people, and help us to work together to show God’s mercy and compassion in our world.

Your kingdom is at hand, O God of justice and peace; you made John the Baptist its herald to announce the coming of your Christ, who baptises with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Give us a spirit of repentance to make us worthy of the kingdom. Let complacency yield to conviction, that in our day justice will flourish and conflict give way to the peace you bestow in Christ. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen (ICEL; 1998)

Offertory Chant

Offertory Hymn (James L. Milligan)

There’s a voice in the wilderness crying,
A call from the ways untrod:
Prepare in the desert a highway,
A highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
The lofty hills brought low;
Make straight all the crooked places,
Where the Lord our God may go!

O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
Get thee up to the heights and sing!
Proclaim to a desolate people
The coming of their King.
Like the flowers of the field they perish,
Like the grass, our works decay,
The power and pomp of nations
Shall pass like a dream away.

But the word of our God endureth,
The arm of the Lord is strong;
He stands in the midst of nations,
And He will right the wrong.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd,
The lambs He'll gently hold;
In pastures of peace He’ll lead them,
And bring them safe to His fold.

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