2nd Sunday Advent, Year A
Fr. Albert
St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia
I’m coming to your house and I am going to chop down your Christmas tree! Does that sound like a good way for a priest to win over his congregation? Well, that is basically what the priest in our Gospel is saying. John the Baptist is from the priestly tribe of Levi and his lives in the desert as a prophet. Despite his rather confrontational style, he attracts a huge crowd from “Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan.” This fiery prophet speaks with prophecy, warnings of judgment and destruction, and even insults. He calls the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers!” His insult doesn’t stop with these leaders of the Jews, but goes on to address every child of Abraham. And then the mysterious image: “the axe lies at the root of the trees.” That’s why I am going to cut down your trees.
Not really, but the Jewish people recognize what John the Baptist is doing. He is dressed like the prophet Elijah and he is talking like the prophet Isaiah. He’s actually referring to the very prophecy we hear in our first reading. Just a few verses before the first reading, Isaiah is warning ancient Israel about God’s wrath and says that God “shall hack down the forest thickets with an ax.” That is why our readings starts with this strange reference to the stump of Jesse. God will chop down the trees of his chosen people, including the tree of Jesse, who is King David’s father. What Isaiah says is striking because God already promised that David’s descendants would reign forever. This is why he immediately speaks of the “shoot” that “shall sprout” from that stump. And this new shoot will bring the Spirit of the Lord.
So when John the Baptist cryptically refers to the ax and the need for repentance, most of the Jews would realize he was referring to this ancient prophecy. And the family tree of Jesse was indeed a stump. David’s royal line has dwindled to an obscure carpenter named Joseph and his betrothed, Mary. But from that family comes forth Jesus of Nazareth, who we know to be the Christ and the eternal king – the only one who can, does, and continues to fulfill the prophecies for David.
But, this king and his kingdom are not exactly what people expected. Perhaps they thought that the cutting had already been done and that the shoot, the messiah, was all that was left. But what John is trying to tell them, what John is still trying to tell us, is that there is still a great deal of cutting that needs to be done. Indeed, the pruning of the tree of God’s people is ongoing. Even as we put up our Christmas trees, we need to realize that we have been grafted onto much more important tree. And unlike the dying, or fake, trees in our houses, the tree of our faith is still expected to bear fruit.
And really, the Christmas tree is not a bad thing. I’m not saying it’s wrong to have them or to decorate them, but consider for a moment: what do most people associate Christmas trees with? It doesn’t take long for us to think about what goes under the tree: gifts, presents for us to unwrap and enjoy. These gifts might be useful, thoughtful ways to express our love, or they might be a waste of money and space. But what about the tree of Jesse that we hear about in Isaiah? Does that tree come with gifts and presents for us?
Yes! Unlike the millions of dead tree that will be burned in January, the tree of our faith is meant to set us on fire. That tree, Jesus Christ, will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. And that baptism, that flaming spirit of Love, does come with gifts. Isaiah even mentions them: “a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.” These are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. But do we unwrap these gifts? Do we use them?
Indeed, even though these are spiritual gifts given to us in our Baptism and Confirmation, they do not work automatically like magic. As with many of our Christmas gifts, there is “some assembly required.” So, how do we unwrap these gifts, put them together, and install the right batteries? Through a life of virtue. Grace builds on nature and the seven gifts of the spirit become more visible and accessible as we grow in virtue: good habits rooted in the Truth.
Like the seven virtues, the seven gifts are meant to transform us and the world: to help us do what we are called to do in advancing the kingdom of God. There is a kind of progression through these gifts, so consider where you might be on the journey to wisdom. We must begin by unwrapping the first gift, the fear of the Lord. This means realizing that you have a very limited, non-divine place in the scheme of things. This kind of fear is the fear of disappointing the father who loves you and it is best expressed in the act of contrition during confession.
Fear of the Lord helps us to accept our proper role as a member of God’s family. Accepting that role and learning to love that role is the gift of piety, which helps with a sense of duty and even enables us to enjoythe practice of our religion. Such an embrace also prepares us to learn and accept God the Father’s specific directions for living a godly life. Accepting these directions and using them in our decision-making process is the gift of knowledge – the knowledge of Truth, of Goodness, and of how God’s providence works in mysterious ways.
Knowing what is right and wrong and strengthened by the practice of our faith, we can use the gift of Fortitude, which is the strength of God. It is the divine help that gives us the little push we need to do the right thing when that right thing is difficult. Likewise, knowing and practicing what God asks of us trains us in a kind of practical, spiritual decision making. The gift of Counsel teaches us how to make every decision in light of this one question: will this choice help me or someone else get to heaven?
The gift of Understanding enables us to see even more deeply than that – it allows us to see the major principles and important truths that lie beneath the surface of reality. Especially when we apply ourselves to learning what the Faith teaches, we unwrap this gift by making connections. It also helps to ask questions so that you don’t just think about what the Church teaches, but begin to think how the Church thinks.
Finally, the greatest gift is Wisdom. Wisdom means seeing the whole picture, which is ultimately to see things from God’s perspective. It consists in contemplating and delighting in the Love of God – the very love expressed in the contradiction of the cross and the love that brings peace even in the midst of great suffering. This kind of infused higher perspective translates to a confident, skillful, and patient way of living our vocation because the wise rely on God’s power, not their own.
And God’s power is coming like a fire to transform the world and establish his kingdom. And the gifts of the Spirit are food for this fire. If we take them, prepare them, and use them as they are meant to be used, then they will be a source of heat and light for us. Led by them, we can produce fruit and share in the Kingdom of Love. But if we are distracted by shiny presents and passing amusements, if we ignore the gifts of God and leave them in a pile outside the house, then they will be as kindling for our homes, consuming us because of our negligence. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.