Second Sunday of Advent (A)

INTRO:
How many of you like to do the lights, decorating a Christmas tree????
How many of you HAVE CERTAIN WAY TO DO THE LIGHTS???

So here I am…doing the lights….…. ALL OF SUDDEN, I hear:

Um, JIM, don’t you want to GO AROUND THE TREE doing the lights, instead of up and down???

Uh, O – K – A – Y ????

So, I start going around the tree…moving that ladder a million times…. going round and round….and ALL OF A SUDDEN, I hear:

Um, JIM…. Could you put the lights INSIDE the tree more? Not just on the ends???? And could you attach them with that little clip!!!!!

HA HA HA

Ever happen to you?

ALL OF US are OPEN TO CRITICISM!  Aren’t we?

Is the criticism, right? Was it fair? Should it have been done?

As far as criticizing goes, I would say what matters most, is HOW we say things, and for many times in these kinds of situations we SHOULD…. THINK BEFORE WE SPEAK!

Not sure if JOHN THE BAPTIST DID THAT in today’s Gospel from Matthew??? He called the Pharisees and Sadducees, who wanted to be baptized…………… “Vipers”!!!!!

Look that word up…. It means A LOT OF THINGS!!
But basically he was calling them PIGS!
To me that does not sound like he was thinking before he was speaking!!! Or worrying about HOW he says things, but, on the other hand, he did!

We all know he wanted sincere repentance for all whom he was baptizing. He wanted to make a POINT to these people who desired his baptism with “water”!

Pharisees and Sadducees were good at “going through the motions of following laws” … the letter of the law was their “salvation,” but, for JOHN THE BAPTIST, the spirit of the law is one’s salvation!
And what does that mean……………. the spirit of the law?

Well,
It means we do things, showing kindness, charity, gentleness, and patience.