Homily For The Second Sunday Of Advent, Year A, December 4, 2022
📖Sunday Readings
“I am so ashamed and confused because I see how many have been lost, on account of a single mortal sin and how many times, I have deserved eternal damnation.”
-St. Stanislaus Kostka
My Dearest Friends In Christ,
The readings of this Second Sunday in Advent challenge us to bear the fruit of repentance as a sincere sign of our preparation to encounter Jesus at His Birth.
True Repentance or Manipulation
We often say; “A behavior change is a sign of a sincere apology,” In contrast, “An apology without a change of behavior is manipulation.”We often expect people to change their attitude when they offend us and often hold them accountable if they repeat the offense. Yet we care less about changing our sinful behaviors because we feel we are accountable to no one. Aren’t we simply trying to manipulate God with our false claim of repentance? We cry to God to forgive our sins, while at the same time hatching plans of committing the same offense. We are even quite ready to repeat the same act in the next second, without any serious effort or sign of sincere remorse. Aren’t we simply taking God for granted? To bear the fruit of repentance is to demonstrate by a positive action that we have changed our way of life. True repentance consists of:
(1) being heartily sorry for having sinned against God and for offending Him
(2) a true sense of one’s guilt and sinfulness
(3) an apprehension of God’s Mercy in Christ
4) an actual hatred of sin (Ps. 119:128; Job 42:5, 6; 2 Cor. 7:10) and turning from sin to God
(5) a persistent endeavor of a holy life by walking with God in the way of His commandments.
The true penitent is conscious of guilt (Ps. 51:4, 9), of pollution (51:5, 7, 10), and of helplessness (51:11; 109:21, 22). We can demonstrate the fruit of repentance by a change in habit/ behavior or attitude toward something or somebody; for instance from bearing grudges for someone to reconciling with the person with love.
Accountability and Repentance
The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) released data from their study on accountability and the results were very interesting! They found that if you are held accountable to someone else, by committing to someone that you will achieve a goal, then your chance of success is up to 95 percent. Accountability is the most important factor in habit formation or habit-changing.
These findings hold In our spiritual life because we often feel we are not accountable to anyone for the way we live. This is one of the reasons we don’t simply change but persist in sinful living and don’t bear the fruit of repentance. I think that we over-presume God’s Mercy and forgiveness so we have become less serious about being accountable to Him for the way we live. We need to awaken this spiritual perception of our accountability to God, now, when we are alive. Being accountable for the way we live isn’t something reserved for the last day of judgment. It starts today, in this period of Advent.
Repentance Brings Out A New You And A New World
The coming of Christ will establish a new order of creation as envisioned by Isaiah. We can prepare for His Coming and participate in the realization of this new order by bearing fruits of sincere repentance. Isaiah prophesied of a new world where “the leopard shall lie down with the kid.” We can begin today to restore this order and harmony in God’s creation by avoiding disastrous lifestyles, killings, wars, hatred, robbery, kidnapping and the like. Our problem today isn’t being afraid of a lion devouring a kid, but our greatest problem is a man becoming a lion hunting or preying on his fellow man. We need a change of heart.
Do Not Ignore The Voice Calling You To Repentance
Today, the voice of John continues to re-echo in the Gospel, calling you to repentance. The choice is yours; to ignore or to harken to that voice. Don’t forget that you are accountable to God for your life and even to others. Do not presume God’s Mercy and forgiveness, for that is tantamount to abusing a privilege. Always bear in mind that God rewards your insufficient efforts. If you are struggling to overcome that sinful habit, He knows, and His Grace is sufficient for you. Keep trying. That is all He needs from you.
The Word of God has always been consistent in warning us about the consequences of our sinful actions. Today, again, John repeats it. ”He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into his barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” Bemoaning our sins has salutary rewards but persistence in sin has disastrous consequences. Evil behavior destroys a person if he or she fails to retreat from it. You may think that your sinful lifestyle is profitable to you today, but tomorrow, you will realize how unprofitable it is. Think about eternal rewards. This brings us to what St. Stanislaus Kosta once said, ”I am so ashamed and confused because I see how many have been lost, on account of a single mortal sin and how many times I have deserved eternal damnation…” Therefore, bear fruits of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” (cf Gal 5:22-23) These fruits of the Holy Spirit are products of those who have sincerely repented of their sins.
Avoid Self Deceit
Let’s stop living a life of self-deceit by thinking there is still time left to repent. That specific time may not come. Now is the opportune time. May God help us by His Grace.
Prayer: Lord, in my struggles against sin, give me the Grace to overcome and bear fruits of sincere repentance. Never abandon me, lest I shall lose eternal life.
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
