II SUNDAY OF ADVENT
SALVATION IS UNIVERSAL
By our Pastor, Fr. Carmelo Jiménez
This second Sunday of Advent we have as the central figure John the Baptist, who announces the hope of salvation. He proposed a process and began with a baptism of repentance, and as a second step, a complete change of man. A man who strives for the best because he has hope in a good future.
A few days ago (November 10, 2015) Pope Francis was in Florence, It, and he said: “Please, do not watch life from the balcony, but commit yourselves, immerse yourselves in the vast social and political dialogue. May the hands of your faith be raised to heaven, and may they do so while they edify a city built on relationships in which the love of God is the foundation. In this way you will be free to accept today’s challenges, to experience the changes and transformations”.
The first reading starts by saying: “Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever” (Baruch 5: 1). It is common among the prophets to use images from rituals used in parties, weddings and burials. So the sacred writer invites the dispersed people to revive their hope, because the Lord has plans to liberate them. God is about to act with the exiles in Babylon and with that his name will be glorified. “Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children” (Bar 5: 5). God’s plan for his people is one of peace and not of affliction. It is true that our human history is marked by suffering, disappointments, and many urgent questions to answer. Despite that God is there to fulfill his word in a special way with us, his children. Hope always engenders in the hearts of men joy and firm assurance and gives us strength to continue our lives. God made us for happiness and wants us to be happy.
I would say, echoing the words of the Apostle Paul, a tireless missionary, and taking them as my own: “God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1: 8). I have been in many communities, some of them for a long time and others for very little time, but either way I carry them in my heart. Now I am a bit far from my country and my blood family, I still have the favor of God and live as a missionary, with many families, my family in Christ Jesus. For those, who are missionaries away of their homes, I tell them it is necessary for the people to see us as their ministers, but also as real humans. An important point in evangelization that I have learned in practice, no matter what language, is to be with the people, in difficult moments or misfortune, and in happy times too. Sorry to avail myself of a biblical text to say how much I miss each of those places and the people where I have been. “I am confident of this that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1: 6).
“A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Lk 3: 4b-6) Only Saint Luke makes mention of universal salvation. A universal salvation, without boundaries: geographical, racial, religious, economic or social. Saint Luke proposes in his gospel that Jesus is, with his gestures and his words, the universal Savior.
In this moment in history the world makes all kinds of distinctions. In this country we have all felt many and I have seen it among brothers and sisters from other countries and cultures, taking advantage of one another. We need to translate the universality of salvation in all of our daily relationships to give testimony to the world that our Father in heaven does not make distinction between people. In God is our salvation and for Him there are no differences. May we prepare the way of the Lord!