A call for repentance this Advent season
December 7, 2025 – Second Sunday of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72, R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.; Romans 15: 4-9; Gospel – Matthew 3: 1-12
John the Baptist is one of the key figures of the Advent Season. His call for repentance in today’s Gospel—“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”—is one of the central graces of the season. The two other points for reflection are how his call for repentance is both a warning and an assurance.
Likewise, the two preparatory seasons for the two great feasts of our faith, Advent for Christmas and Lent for Easter, are by nature a period of repentance.
What’s worth waiting for
A somewhat distinct quality of Advent’s repentance is the emphasis on waiting. Fr. James P. Donelan, S.J., calls this the sacrament of waiting.
“Waiting is a mystery—a natural sacrament of life—there is a meaning hidden in all the times we have to wait. It must be an important mystery because there is so much waiting in our lives… Waiting is a good thing only if something [or someone] is worth waiting for.”
This too is the heart of repentance. We repent as a preparation to open our life to something—the kingdom of heaven—and to someone, Jesus, the Emmanuel, worth waiting for.
Repentance must lead us to awareness and acceptance, to be aware of the areas in our lives that need to be touched by grace and to accept this truth so that we may choose to clear the obstacle or obstacles to grace.
And what are the obstacles in our lives that prevent us from embracing and being embraced by the kingdom of heaven and Jesus, the Emmanuel?
Taking responsibility for our shortcomings
Awareness and acceptance are tricky processes. We often mistake awareness for acceptance, so we always fall short of choosing to clear the obstacles to grace, which is the concrete act of repentance. This is where repentance as a warning and an assurance helps lead us to accept what we need to clear in our lives.
The warning that John the Baptist gave in the Gospel—“You brood of vipers!”—forces one to confront one’s misdeeds or sins. It is a very sharp rebuke that cannot not make us face and accept what is wrong with us.
This is an important part of repentance. It is the difficult part to accept and take responsibility for our shortcomings.
There are several possible reasons. One is the shame of admitting one’s dark side. Another is the pain of accepting one’s brokenness, which is at times expressed in negative behavior. Then there is pride, too.
The grace to appreciate repentance
But what can help make it easier is the assurance—or, as someone put it, the promise—of redemption.
Going back to Fr. Donelan’s reflection, “Waiting is a good thing only if something [or someone] is worth waiting for.”
So, it is with going through the difficult and painful process of accepting obstacles to grace. Pain and difficulty are a good thing if they lead us to healing and redemption.
The traditional prayer of repentance or act of contrition embodies the wisdom of ages.
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love…”
I pray that this Advent Season, our Advent journey this year will grant us the grace to appreciate repentance as a grace that opens us to Jesus himself and truly makes him God-with-us in a very personal way.
