Sunday Homily December 7, 2025, Second Sunday of Advent (A)

The Shoot from the Stump Isa 11:1-10; Psalm: 71; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, on this Second Sunday of Advent, the Church deepens our longing. The purple vestments speak not only of penance but of the royal dawn that is breaking upon the world. The Word of God today presents us with a magnificent vision of our hope, a call to the unity that hope creates, and the urgent, practical path that prepares us for its coming. The Prophet Isaiah paints a picture with the colors of God’s own promise. He speaks of a “stump of Jesse”—the seemingly dead royal line of David after the exile. But from this stump, a “shoot shall sprout,” a new king anointed with the full Spirit of the Lord: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord. His rule will be one of perfect justice, especially for the poor and the meek. Then, the prophet unveils a vision of cosmic reconciliation that defies our broken experience: the wolf as the guest of the lamb, the leopard lying with the kid. This is the peace of the Kingdom of God, where the “earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord.” This is the goal of our Advent longing: not a minor improvement, but a new creation. This hope is not a passive wish. As Saint Paul tells the Romans, it is a source of endurance and encouragement. “Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction,” he says, that “we might have hope.” The vision of Isaiah was given to sustain God’s people, and it finds its “yes” in Jesus Christ. This shared hope, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, is meant to forge unity. Paul’s prayer is that we “may think in harmony with one another” and “with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our hope in the coming King makes us a people of welcome, for Christ came as a “minister of the circumcision to show God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” Our hope is universal, and so must our welcome be. But how do we, who still live in a world of wolves and lambs, of division and injustice, prepare for this Kingdom? The Gospel gives us the stark and bracing answer in the person of John the Baptist. He appears in the desert, a voice crying out, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” His message is one of radical conversion: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” He does not offer comforting platitudes. He confronts the hypocrisy of the religious elite, calling them a “brood of vipers.” He warns that simply having Abraham as an ancestor is not enough. The axe is at the root of the tree, and “every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” True preparation for the Messiah is a matter of the heart, evidenced by a life of justice, honesty, and charity. He points to the one who will “baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” This is the beautiful and challenging Catholic truth of Advent. The peaceful Kingdom of Isaiah is established by the fiery judgment of Christ, which first burns away our sin. As Pope Saint John Paul II taught, “Advent is a period of intense training that directs us decisively to the One who already came, who will come, and who comes continuously.” The comfort is that the shoot from Jesse’s stump is Jesus, the long-awaited king. The challenge is to allow John the Baptist’s voice to echo in our own deserts. We prepare for the King by repenting of our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, by “bearing good fruit” in our relationships, and by welcoming the stranger as Christ welcomes us. Let us, then, go forth from this Eucharist with hope in our hearts and a commitment to prepare a straight path for the Lord. May we clear away the obstacles of pride and indifference, so that the King of peace may find a dwelling place in us, and through us, begin to heal the world. Amen. www.rvammls.org www.tiktok.com/@MMRVALS