Daily Gospel Reflection for December 4, 2022: Second Sunday of Advent

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Reflection by Kathy Mallery Schober

“Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”

Dressed in camel’s fur and leather, dining on bugs and wild honey, a prophet preaches in the desolate land west of the Dead Sea, near the Jordan River.

And people come to him. They flock to him. They want to change. They want to become different.

They want to be a part of God’s kingdom. They want to be baptized.

They search for John the Baptist and find him. In their repentance, they are baptized.

Then come the Pharisees and Sadducees, focused on their knowledge and prideful of their adherence to the law. They come to John. But John does not see in them a desire to change, an understanding of what a true love of God’s law stirs within and requires without.

John, who is preparing the way of the Lord, sees their lack of loving actions. He sees them as spiritually barren despite their great knowledge and status.

For us too, it is not enough to know of God. It is not enough just to keep the law. It is not enough to be sorry when we fail to keep it. It is not enough to be respected and honored for our knowledge and status.

Much more is required of us.

We must produce good fruit.

That is how we live out our baptisms. The Holy Spirit enters in, gifting us and guiding us to embrace the grace. Embrace God’s gift of Himself within and live it out loud! Give voice to God’s gospel of love. Give hands to serve His people in love. Let our feet take us where the Holy Spirit guides.

Be changed within and show forth good fruits as evidence of that change. What better way to help “prepare the way of the Lord?"

Ponder:

How is God showing me that I need to change/repent so that the fruits of my life better serve as evidence of God’s presence within me?

Pray:

Gracious Father, through my baptism, I am forgiven of my sin and born anew in the Holy Spirit. As John the Baptist proclaimed, may my life produce good fruits as evidence of the change You have wrought within me.