Second Sunday of Advent: Reflection by Sr. Kerstin-Marie Berretz OP

In our communities, common knowledge and stories of our Sister’s lives are very often passed by spoken words. Stories we tell each other during recreation or common meals. And as everywhere in the world, they start with “Do you remember when Sister XY was prioress at this house,…” Or “When I was in the novitiate, and Mother AB was the responsible Sister…”. We pass our stories by binding them to distinct Sisters. Even though we might not know them personally, we have heard so much about them that we already have an idea of how the novitiate was when Mother AB was in charge.

The same happens in today’s Gospel. The story starts with an indication of who had responsibility and power at that time. Pontius Pilate, who is said to have been an extremely harsh and provocative ruler. No wonder the people were waiting for a messiah, someone who would bring salvation.

And isn’t it similar to our time? We look around, in Europe and all over the world, and see rulers who are harsh and provocative. We see responsible people who don’t take care of their folks. We can see the longing for savior types and quick and easy solutions to the big questions of our time.

In this situation – 2000 years ago – a person like John appeared. Today, in this Advent, we, Sisters, might be John. He is not the messiah, but he wants and has to prepare the world for Jesus; the Word became flesh. So are we, we are not the messiah, and we as Sisters might be as powerless in our Church as John was, who lived in the desert, wore very simple clothes, and ate grasshoppers and wild honey. He is not exactly a powerful figure that everyone trembles when he appears. And yet he is the forerunner of Christ, urgently warning that people must prepare the way for the Lord and turn back.

I can imagine that this is exactly the same task for us today. It is our job to go to the people and proclaim the Good News. As John did, we are asked today to tell our contemporaries that another life is possible. That the Kingdom of God is not only a nice concept for theologians but wants to become reality here and now when we help others to discover the salvation of God. When we encourage others to understand that every human person is a beloved child of God and that life in abundance is meant for everybody, not only for a chosen group, then the rough ways will be smooth, and we all together will find solutions to make life possible for everybody on earth.

To fulfill this vital task of proclamation, I guess it is helpful to understand Advent as a time of preparation and reflection. John received the word of God in the desert, so we need time in the desert, silence, and prayer. These dark weeks can help us to withdraw from the hustle and bustle in order to open our hearts and ears to the word of god.

Sometimes surprising and overwhelming things can happen, as we see with Mary, to whom the angel announced on this day that she was to give birth to a son, the Messiah.