DARE TO BEHOLD THE REIGN

Dream, Discern, Determine...

Second Sunday in Advent - December 07, 2025

Isaiah 11: 1-10; Romans 15: 4-9; Matthew 3: 1-12

Repent, for the Reign of God is close at hand, in fact it is right in your midst; do you dare to behold the Reign? That is the question that the second Sunday of Advent raises to us. The Reign is the hope of the pilgrims… and as pilgrims we are called to develop within us the capacity to behold the Reign, the signs of the Reign, the seeds of the Reign and the possibilities of the Reign. At times, although it is right to say we await the Reign, it is more apt to say, we behold the Reign, because the Reign has been already inaugurated by our Lord, the incarnate Son, who came to live with us to make us understand that we are people of the Reign and the Reign is our hope… which is to be beheld in our day to day experiences. That, actually, is a dare… that we begin to dream, that we strive to discern and we remain determined about our hope.

 

Dare to Dream, tells us Isaiah today – the Reign is a dream! Just look at Isaiah’s words today… I personally had a very childish curiosity to see what would that scene be like, if what Isaiah explains becomes a prompt to create a AI image… just have a look at it if you wish to, on my blog: https://thots-n-lots.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-ai-ah-11.html ! It is a dream… but a dream of hope! That is what it is on the mountain of the Lord, says Isaiah and that is what our land would be, if we realise the Reign of God here and now. Is that possible? A big Yes and a sad No! A big “yes” because it is indeed possible when everyone loves the other… as St. Paul instructs the Romans, if everyone begins to respect and regard the other and remain united to the other in the Lord – it is indeed the Reign of God on earth. It would certainly be a “no”, if the forces of violence and hatred, deception and corruption, selfishness and wickedness, continue to take the world by force and rule over it.

 

The Dream requires us to Discern… “I have a dream” is a beautiful thing to say! But what kind of a dream? To be the most powerful on earth, to possess everything that I can set my eyes on, to have every one under my control and command…even these are dreams! There are those who have these dreams and they are already doing enough damage to the world. The dreams that we have, need to be discerned with the help of the Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of justice and peace, the Spirit of righteousness and wisdom! We have a clear criterion given: ‘following the example of Christ Jesus.’ The criteria of discernment presented by John the Baptist is the same again – the baptism of the Spirit and fire, brought to us by the King, who invites us to his Reign, the Reign of truth and justice, righteousness and peace, true joy and eternal happiness. It is a choice – we need to make that choice because the time is near; the axe has already been laid at the roots… if we do not bear the right fruits we shall be felled. The discernment has to lead us to a clear choice and determination!

 

The Discernment leads to Determination… when apostle Paul refers to “he who helps us when we refuse to give up,” he is inviting us to have the spirit of the Prophets – like Isaiah and the Baptist through whom the Word speaks to us today! Determination for the Reign, prepares us for the worst – hard realities of life as symbolized by the austere life style of the Baptist, opposition and persecution as the death of John the Baptist exemplifies and rejection and isolations as most of the prophets, John the Baptist and Jesus himself experienced in their days. Determination overcomes any possible fear or pessimism, making one go to any extreme, even unto death, as we see in the example of the prophets. It requires real determination to behold the Reign, for it is an extreme challenge to live by the Spirit of the Reign. However, it is our very identity, our call, our vocation – to belong to Christ, to belong to the Reign.

We, as pilgrims are hope, are called to realise the hope as pilgrims – that the Reign is ours and the Reign is here amidst us. We become truly people of the Reign, when we dare to behold the Reign – with our dreams, discernment and determination.