Taken from: www.splendorofthetruth.org/.../Advent_C_2_-_Baptist.338114608.doc
2nd
Sunday of Advent, Year C
The
New Jeremiah
The greatest danger to Christians today is
a type of familiarity with our faith that breeds contempt. We know about the miracles that God worked in
the past, we know about the prophecies of Christ fulfilled in Scripture, and we
know about the workings of the Holy Spirit in us and in the Church today. But sometimes we say “so what?” We grow bored with the drama of salvation
history, and we do not see how God affects our lives. Boredom and contempt have led Christians to
give up their faith and embrace strange new religions that keep them
entertained with lies.
If we would only read what the Scriptures
really say! If we would only study what
has really happened in history! We would
see the ingenious and awe-inspiring plan of God carried out to the smallest
detail in the life of every human being on the planet, including each of us. We would be ecstatic with His plan to
transform us into living reflections of his glory and power like the very
angels in heaven by sanctifying us with his own Holy Spirit through our
sacramental life in the Church.
And we would appreciate the
earth-shattering appearance of St. John the Baptist today. What began almost 900 years earlier with
Elijah finishes with John, who is the last and greatest of the prophets. Elijah appeared suddenly from nowhere,
wearing rough clothing and rebuking King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel. John the Baptist also appears suddenly in the
desert, wearing rough clothing and rebuking King Herod and his wicked wife
Herodias.
But if we look deeper into God’s plan, we
will be even more amazed by the similarities between St. John the Baptist and
another prophet. Over 600 years before
John lived Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a
priest of the old covenant, born of a priestly family, though it seems he never
served in the Temple. John was also a
priest, born of his priestly father Zechariah, though he too never served in
the Temple. At the start of the Book of
the prophet Jeremiah, God tells him “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew
you, and before you were born, I sanctified you and made you a prophet to the
nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). John was
sanctified by Christ in the womb before he was born, which caused him to leap
for joy in his mother Elizabeth’s womb, and he became Christ’s own prophet to
prepare the way. Both Jeremiah and John
never married because of the difficult days ahead, and indeed, both of them
were imprisoned by wicked kings and executed by their own people: John by
beheading, and Jeremiah by being stoned to death. John is not only a new Elijah come to convert
Israel; he is a new Jeremiah.
And if we look deeper still, we see that
John shares more than outward characteristics with Jeremiah. John also completes the final work of
Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived at the end of a
kingdom. In his last days, Babylon was
threatening to destroy the Kingdom of Judah and everything holy to the Chosen
people. So Jeremiah commanded the people
to hide three sacred items to preserve their bond with God before they fled
into Egypt. He commanded them to take the
holy fire from the altar in the Temple and to keep it burning secretly, to keep
the Law of God hidden within their hearts by refusing to worship idols, and to
hide the Arc of the Covenant, the seat of God’s living presence among them (see
2 Maccabees 2:1-7).
600 years later, St. John the Baptist is
living at the beginning of a Kingdom—the Kingdom of God which he is
heralding. The time has come to reveal
those three sacred items hidden by Jeremiah—to complete his work—so that God
can recreate a holy people. The holy
fire from the altar consumed all offerings, giving them forever to God. John reveals to the people that the Christ
will baptize them with the Holy
Spirit and fire. The Holy Spirit will consume the faithful,
body and soul, like offerings, giving them forever to God through baptism.
The Law of God taught the people how they
ought to live. By his teaching, John
reveals to the crowds how they ought to live, and prepares them for the Lawgiver
himself, Jesus Christ. Finally, the Arc
of the Covenant was literally a seat or throne for God in the Temple. The Holy of Holies was the room that held the
Arc, which was God’s living presence among the Chosen people. John reveals to the people the real, living
presence of God among them as one of them: the true man and true God, Jesus
Christ himself.
Is this all blind coincidence? Of course not! This is God’s plan from the beginning! St. John the Baptist, the last and greatest of
the prophets, the new Elijah, the new Jeremiah, is completing Jeremiah’s final
work so the Kingdom of God can begin.
As Advent continues, we will hear about
miracles and prophesies. We will hear
about the ingenious and awe-inspiring plan of God which involves each one of us
here. Let the Scriptures inspire
you! Let human history inspire you! See God’s plan with fresh eyes, and be filled
with joy that he has chosen to transform you into a reflection of His own
glory—into a son or daughter of God!
Rev.
Eric Culler
