Advent is a crucial season of preparation, not only for Christmas, but for our entire Christian life. Each time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask that God’s Kingdom come and His will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” What would that prayer mean for you today; how would you understand it? On this Second Sunday of Advent, the Church reminds us that the Kingdom of God is one of justice and peace, and the preparations of Advent make our hearts and the world ready for its arrival.
This universal call to justice is what Isaiah emphasizes today. He invites us to imagine a world where every person is respected, not because of skin color or status, but because each one bears the image of God. To illustrate this vision, the Prophet uses striking images of creatures who would never naturally live in harmony: “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion browse together, with a little child to guide them” (Isaiah 11:1–10). It sounds almost like a dream, yet this is the kind of justice God intends, and one He wants us to aspire to bring about. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that God has directed the words of Scripture for our instruction (Romans 15:4).
So, brothers and sisters, during this weekend and in the days ahead, remember that the Church urges us not merely to imagine such a world, as depicted by the Prophet Isaiah, but to help build it. Consequently, if we desire a better world, we must actively work toward it (each of us). Advent calls each of us to become the instruments of God’s justice and peace, in our homes, our communities, and everywhere God places us.
