Advent – Time for Repentance and Peace

On the second week of Advent, we light the candle representing peace.

The Catholic Church teaches us that Peace is not just the absence of war or conflict but it is the ‘tranquillity of order’ (CCC 2304) – peace exists when men are in order. St. Gregory of Nyssa explains that there is peace when the “hidden inner man” and the “outer man” are in harmony and their lives are ordered in Christ.

If we want to experience peace, we need to heed the voice crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation. Luke 3: 4-6

Fr. Joe Stephens in explaining the Gospel, said that “John the Baptist was preaching in the desert away from the temples. When God cannot speak to us in church, he will speak to us outside. Sometimes, when we do not allow people to experience God in the church they will go elsewhere. When people don’t feel welcomed, they leave. We need repentance.”

St. Teresa of Avilla warns us that ‘Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people’s if we are always criticizing trivial actions – which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our ignorance of their motives.”

Fr. Joe added that repentance is call to look into our lives- whether it is relationship, attitude, behaviour, hatred and all the deep-seated issues. God is interested that we walk towards him and that is why the paths are made straight, valleys are filled and mountains made low- so that the road is accessible to Him.

“Are we willing to change?” asked Fr. Joe. “Usually, people don’t like change but life is all about change- so that we become new men and women.”

The lighting of the candles during advent tells us that we need the light to see who we really are and repent for God sees us for who we really are.

Pray for a change of heart.  Pay attention, after sin comes shame, courage follows repentance….. Satan upsets the order- he gives courage to sin and shame to repentance.

St John Chrysotom