Have you ever wondered what St. John the Baptist meant when he declared in today’s scripture, pointing to Christ: “I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” St John was talking about two types of baptism; namely, baptism with water and baptism with the Holy Spirit. St. John was a humble man who fully recognized the limitations of his baptism with water that invited people to change through external acts of repentance, like washing in the river Jordan, but it could not change the human heart or the human spirit. Only the baptism of Christ can do this because Christ’s baptism gives us a new spirit, the Holy Spirit. This baptism of the Holy Spirit has the power to overcome the limitations of the human spirit, to change our attitudes, and to make us more Christ-like in our behavior. It has the power to make us more than we are.

The longer one reflects on the human condition, it seems clear that attitude is more important than anything else. Your attitude touches the core of your being; it is all-embracing, impacting on every aspect of your life for good or for bad. A bad attitude, like an act of gross impatience, can ruin everything; a good attitude such as patience or kindness is like a ray of sunshine: it can uplift, inspire people and transform the world around you.

Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people say about you. It is more important than appearances, than talent, than a job. It will make or break a family, a church, a business. The wonderful thing the gospel teaches us is that we have a choice concerning the attitudes we will embrace each day. We cannot change the past, we cannot alter the facts of life, we can only change the way we deal with life. What happens to you is not nearly as important as the way you handle it. Is that not why Jesus gave us eight excellent attitudes in the sermon on the mount to renew our spirits? (Matthew 5-7). But, in order to possess these Christian attitudes or Beatitudes we need to let go of the old sinful ones.

In the Gospel, Jesus says: “unless you repent, you will perish.” (Luke 13:3) But, real repentance starts from within. It comes from a change of heart or attitude that will determine what you do, and, if your heart is in the right place, your actions will bear good fruit. If your heart is in the wrong place, your actions will produce bad fruit. For example, if you are a greedy person, you will do anything to get your own way even if that means harming or destroying others or spreading lies and slander about those you perceive as obstacles to your goals. Some people think this is acceptable in a competitive culture where winning by any means is touted as success. And so they say: “nothing succeeds like success.” But, is that success if you succeed without integrity? Jesus reminds us of this when he states that “all evil acts come from the deep recesses of the human soul,” from attitudes of hatred, pride, greed, and so forth. To live the baptism of Christ, to follow His example, is to be prepared to abandon those bad attitudes we are born with and to replace them with the attitudes of Christ in the gospel.

You cannot put new wine into old wines-skins, Jesus tells us, for the new wine will burst the old wines-skins. (Mark 2:21-22) In the same way, you cannot possess the Holy Spirit (the spirit of Christ) if you cling to, rather than abandon, selfish attitudes. You must repent first in order to put on the attitudes of Christ.

On this second Sunday of Advent, we need to look hard at the enemy within. This is our time to enter deeper into the renewal that Advent urges. We need to know our dark side, we need to know where we have cheated ourselves and one another, we need to know where we have lost track of the good news of the gospel in our lives.

A healthy Christian attitude is the best thing you have going for you. So, make it your special project this Advent to let go of anything that prevents you from possessing the attitude of Christ. Without the baptism of the Holy Spirit, how can you possess the kingdom of God within you?

Fr. Hugh Duffy

The Perfect Christmas Gift!

What is This Thing Called FAITH?

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