Peace be with you! A blessed #LaudatoSiSunday everyone. Today is the Second Sunday of Advent.

In the Gospel, we hear John, the son of Zechariah proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins as prophesied by Isaiah – “A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths!”

Yes, the Advent season gives the ample time to reflect on our relationship with God. Like St. John the Baptist in the desert, we are called to re-evaluate our lives and cleanse ourselves of our inequities as we prepare ourselves to be purified by the water of baptism and healed by the Holy Spirit.

In our solitude, we learn from our mistakes, repent, and make amends. With our baptism, we are reborn in God’s image and likeness, we are regenerated. We renew our commitments to be stewards of creation as our original sin we inherited and all sins are forgiven. 

Pope Francis in Laudato Si number 235 says: “Water poured over the body of a child in Baptism is a sign of new life.“

We are reminded by the Holy Father in passage number 66 that “human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor and with the earth itself,” which “… have been broken”.

Let us then prepare the way of the Lord by being true to our Baptism which must lead to universal reconciliation with every creature towards harmony, spiritual healing, and ecological conversion.

Remember what Pope Francis says in Laudato Si’ passage 75: “The best way to restore men and women to their rightful place, putting an end to their claim to absolute dominion over the earth, is to speak once more of the figure of a Father who creates and who alone owns the world. Otherwise, human beings will always try to impose their laws and interests on reality.”

Sisters and brothers, how are you preparing for the coming Christmas? Are we still under the slavery of throw-away culture which brings back that age-old conflict with God, our neighbors, and all of creation? 

Therefore, I invite all of you to join our journey to achieve the goals of Laudato Si’ in caring for our common home through the sector where you belong. Visit www.laudatosiactionplatform.org for more information.