Today is the second Sunday of Advent, and we hear Saint John the Baptist say that for us to say that our repentance is true, we must “produce good fruit.” What does this mean? If we are sincerely sorry for our sins, we must have resolutions or concrete next things to do, after learning from our past mistakes. God forgives us our sins because His mercy is boundless. However, His mercy is not a license for us to enjoy sin without even thinking how much it hurts God and others.
To produce good fruit means that we do good to God by doing good to others. It also means turning away from our sinfulness, even if it is difficult, and persevering in our resolutions through our prayers and by God’s grace. Nothing is ever easy about faith and love because both demand our sacrifice. To love and to say sorry means there is work to do. It is not just words that matter, for words are empty without actions.
If we are truly sorry to God for our sins, we must make efforts to do things right and not just promise them. For example, if we are sorry for judging, belittling others, or talking badly about them, we must avoid anything that leads us to do that. We must also examine ourselves. Ask, “Why do I do that?”. In this case, it may be jealousy, envy, or pride, which we must all bring to God for healing in the sacrament of confession. We must also ask the Holy Spirit for guidance to know what causes our sins. It is necessary for us to know the lies that build up those sins to discard them and exchange them with the truth from the Gospel. Some of those lies include that we can be happy by doing the sin that we need to avoid, but this is far from the truth.
We can only be truly happy by being reconciled and at peace with the Lord. We’ll never know this peace and joy that the world cannot give if we keep avoiding going back to God. We are all God’s beloved. With Him is mercy as well as justice. His love is unconditional, and we are also being true to ourselves in loving God because He made us for this love – first of Him, then of others.
This love of God must lead us to see our sinfulness and the desire to change ourselves, knowing God’s love for us will never fail. Amen. +
Maria Pia Josefina | OLA Social Communications
