Today’s Gospel is a challenging one, inviting us to consider how much spiritual fruit we are bearing in our lives. St John the Baptist tells us, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance”, reminding us that the depth of our conversion will be measured by our fruit. Speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees, John says it is not enough to say that “‘We have Abraham as our father.’” If he were speaking today, John might put it this way: it’s not enough to say “I’m Catholic!” or “I belong to St Theresa’s parish.” Our lives must show outward evidence of the inward conversion we have undergone. The good news for us today is that we can pause and take stock of how well we are bearing spiritual fruit. Pay attention to what areas might need pruning or fertilising to ensure that when we come to the Lord’s threshing floor at the end of our lives, there is a bountiful harvest he can gather into his barn.
Our first reading gives us a glimpse of God’s kingdom: The Son of David will rule with wisdom, understanding, counsel, and knowledge, and “with righteousness he shall judge the poor” and “he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,”. In his kingdom “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat” and yet “they shall not hurt or destroy”. What a poetic way of describing the harmony and wholeness that God longs for in society! As disciples, this is our mission. We’re called to work so that God’s kingdom vision can become reality. As we work for peace and justice, we’re doing our part in the Church’s work of evangelisation. As the US bishops wrote in their letter Communities of Salt and Light, “social justice is an integral part of evangelisation, a constitutive dimension of preaching the Gospel, and an essential part of the Church’s mission”.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist says of Jesus, “He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”. Our ability to bear spiritual fruit comes from the power of the Holy Spirit within us. Take a moment to reflect on where you see the gifts (see the first reading from Isaiah!) and fruits of the Holy Spirit in your life. How might the Spirit of God be working to increase your spiritual fruitfulness this Advent?
