The following are homilies, images and other digital resources you might find useful for your celebration of the Second Sunday of Advent (Year C). Today’s liturgy reminds us that we all need to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” (Luke 3:4). The best way for us to prepare for the Lord’s coming is to turn our heart and mind from apathy, indifference and doubt, to trust and obedience to God’s word.

READINGS

FIRST READING: Baruch 5:1-9
PSALM: Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
SECOND READING: Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
GOSPEL: Luke 3:1-6

HOMILIES

• To Know Where You Are [www.bible.claret.org]
  It is very important to be NOW and HERE. If we are not NOW-HERE we are NO-WHERE. The problem is that you cannot be NOWHERE and if you insist on trying to be NOWHERE you can never move to somewhere else. You cannot move away from a place unless you are first there, either physically, psychologically or spiritually. Read more…
• The Word of God Came to John in the Wilderness [www.rc.net]
  Luke’s gospel emphasizes the universal call of the gospel to all peoples without distinction. He quotes from the prophet Isaiah that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” John stood at the door of a new era of grace and salvation. He saw from a distance what Jesus the Messiah would accomplish through his death and resurrection – pardon for our sins and eternal life for all who would believe in his name. Are you hungry for the Word of God and do you allow God’s word to shape and form the way you think and live? Read more…
• Second Advent: The Word of God Came to John [www.st.ignatius.net]
  What we need to do is pray. Pray that we might listen when the Word of God comes to us. And pray that we might respond to the Word of God by going into action as Christians. Jesus Christ is coming again. Like John the Baptist the Word of God comes often to us so that we might prepare the Way of the Lord. Read more…
• 2nd Sunday of Advent [www.catholicmatters.com]
  The preaching of John the Baptist, quoting Isaiah, which echoed and re-echoed around the Jordan valley nearly two thousand years ago, should ring in our ears today too. We are preparing for the coming of Christ at Christmas, and the prophet tells us how we should prepare ourselves if the welcome we give our Savior is to be sincere and true. Even the best and the holiest amongst us will have to admit that our paths—our dealings with God—over the past twelve months have been far from straight and smooth. Read more…

IMAGES

To view and download their full size versions, please click on the images or the names of the artists.

SLIDE PRESENTATIONS

You can download the first presentation here and the second presentation can be downloaded here.

VIDEOS