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.
