Honesty and sincerity. Second Sunday of Advent (A)The Pope focused on the figure of St. John the Baptist, "a man allergic to falsehood". John gives a cry of love, inviting us to bear "the fruit that conversion demands" and not to waste our lives.
Francis, following the teachings of the Baptist, has affirmed that "hypocrisy is the gravest danger, because it can ruin even the most sacred realities". Jesus Christ is also hard on hypocrites, as can be seen in the Gospel.
The Pope points out that "in order to welcome God, it is not skill that matters, but humility. This is the way to welcome God". It is necessary to "come down from the pedestal and immerse oneself in the water of repentance".
The Church proposes the Baptist to accompany us in our journey to the Advent because "John, with his allergic reactions, makes us reflect: are we not also sometimes a little like those Pharisees? Perhaps we look down on others from on high, thinking that we are better than them, that we are in control of our lives, that we do not need God, the Church, our brothers and sisters every day".
"Advent is a time of grace to take off our masks". For this, says the Pope, "the path is only one: that of humility. To purify ourselves of the sense of superiority, of the formalism of hypocrisy. To see in others brothers and sisters, sinners like us, and in Jesus to see the Savior who comes for us".
We cannot despair, Francis points out, we cannot think that our sins are too many because "with Jesus the possibility of starting over is always there, it is never too late. It is never too late. There is always the possibility of starting over. Have courage, He is close to us and this is a time of conversion".
Francis concluded his address by inviting us to "listen to John's cry of love to return to God. Let us not let this Advent pass us by like the days of the calendar. Because this is a time of grace, now, here". The Pope also recommended that we entrust ourselves to Santa MariaMay Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord, help us to meet Jesus and our brothers and sisters on the path of humility".
