The Second Sunday of Advent
Advent meets us in the in-between—between seasons, deadlines, uncertainties, finals, and the quiet hopes we carry into every new chapter. Isaiah’s vision of a world healed and reordered feels almost impossible beside the pressures and anxieties of daily life, yet that’s exactly where the promise begins: in a shoot from the stump, in something small growing out of what feels cut down or tired. We are reminded that sometimes God’s hope doesn’t arrive fully formed; it sprouts in places we don’t expect. And in times when we might struggle, feel overlooked, or feel stretched thin, perhaps we simply have to wait.
But waiting does not have to be passive. What if we see it as preparation shaped by community, honesty, and courage? “Welcome one another,” St. Paul says, because hope grows when we choose harmony and togetherness. “Produce good fruit,” St. John the Baptist instructs, inviting us to examine what habits, fears, or assumptions we might need to release to make space for something better.
As we prepare for the Lord in our own lives, may we find the endurance, encouragement, and clarity to remain patient, to remain hopeful, and to remain aligned with God’s plans for us.
Amen.
