As the Second Sunday of Advent converges with International Human Rights Day, we are drawn into a profound discernment and ushered into a moment where faith demands action and hope burns against the shadows of injustice. In this season of anticipation, we stand not as passive witnesses but are called to rise as instruments of God’s justice. Advent, a time to wait for Christ’s coming, is a clarion call to confront the brokenness of our world, to challenge the forces that trample human dignity, and to labor tirelessly for the inbreaking of God’s kingdom into history.
The Advent readings – Baruch’s vision of transformation, Paul’s promise of God’s enduring work, and John’s searing call to repentance – are not quiet comforts but battle cries for justice in a world plagued with inequalities. They call us to look beyond the warm glow of church candles to the harsh realities of our society, where extrajudicial killings, red-tagging, and the persecution of activists remain unchecked. Under the Marcos administration, the atrocities of the Duterte era mutated into new forms, deepening impunity and silencing voices that dared to resist.
Yet even as the darkness looms, the Advent hope of God’s justice shines unshaken. It is not a distant promise but a living mandate that embodies an urgent demand for Christians to embody the restoration and righteousness proclaimed in Scripture. This hope compels us to confront systems of oppression, to reject apathy, and to stand boldly with the oppressed. It challenges us to be the hands and feet of God’s righteousness to bring light into the darkest corners of our nation and the world.
Baruch unveils a vision of God’s power that shakes the very foundations of the earth, a God who levels mountains and fills valleys, who shatters barriers and paves the way for a new social order. This is not a scene of quiet waiting but a clarion call to radical upheaval. For the oppressed in the Philippines, these words are not mere poetry. They echo as a battle cry, resounding in the hearts of those who refuse to be silenced. The families of victims of extrajudicial killings hold tightly to this promise of justice, not as a distant hope but as a well of hope that sustains their fight. This vision demands the dismantling of oppressive systems and fearlessly confronting the powers that perpetuate suffering. It is a summons to prophetic action to bring God’s justice crashing into the broken realities of this world.
Paul’s words in Philippians resound like a hymn of unyielding hope: “God will finish what He has started.” In the relentless struggle for human rights, these words are a rallying cry to endure. Every act of prophetic courage – a voice lifted against the tide of injustice, a fist raised to cast off the shackles of oppression, and a courageous spirit standing defiant against tyranny – becomes a declaration that God’s love is a force more powerful than oppression. This work for justice transcends the realm of mere activism. It is faith set ablaze that offers a living witness to the Gospel’s call to defend the inherent dignity of every human being.In each step toward justice, we proclaim that God’s redeeming and sanctifying power moves through us to heal a broken world.
And then emerges John the Baptist – a defiant voice thundering in the wilderness, unrelenting and unafraid, proclaiming repentance with the force of a storm. His cry pierces through the noise of complacency, demanding not just personal conversion but a sweeping transformation of society itself. His is not a plea but a demand for truth to triumph over deception, for solidarity to replace division, and for accountability to shatter the chains of impunity. True repentance dismantles walls of hatred brick by brick, forging bridges of peace and reconciliation. It dares to stand unflinchingly with the marginalized and oppressed, declaring to the powerful: their reign of injustice ends where the kingdom of God begins.
In our context, John’s call is a resounding rejection of the lies that shield violence – the “nanlaban” narrative, the branding of dissenters as terrorists, and the criminalization of human rights defenders. It challenges the relentless smear campaigns that label activists as enemies of the state, the unlawful surveillance and harassment of individuals advocating for justice, and the weaponization of laws to silence dissent. It confronts the enduring culture of impunity that enables extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and the brutal repression of communities resisting exploitation. His cry calls for a deep reckoning with these systemic abuses, and to demand truth, accountability, and justice on behalf of the oppressed.
As Christians, we cannot be mere spectators in the unfolding historical narrative of God’s kingdom; we are active participants called to shape the world in the image of God’s justice. Advent is not a season of quiet vigil but a fiery summons to prepare the way for God’s reign – a kingdom of unshakable justice, boundless peace, and an unyielding hope that no darkness can extinguish. Churches must rise, not as silent observers, but as sanctuaries of defiance and voices of resistance against systemic oppression, exposing and condemning abuses of power, and offering justice to the persecuted. We are called to become vessels of God’s radical compassion, relentless justice, and revolutionary hope.
This Advent, as the world groans beneath the weight of violence and inequality, may we become the living embodiment of the promise of Emmanuel—God with us, God through us. This is no passive waiting for Christ’s coming, but a passionate pursuit for His justice to break into our fractured world. Let our faith compel us to stand boldly with the oppressed, demand accountability from the powerful, and work tirelessly for a society where every person’s dignity is revered. As Christians, in our struggle, in our hope, and in our love, we make the justice of God reborn in every manger, from the cities to the countryside, bearing witness to the light that does not merely pierce the darkness but shatters it, proclaiming with prophetic defiance that the kingdom of God is at hand.
Gospel reflection of Fr. Edoi Ruazol, Iglesia Filipina Independiente for the 2nd Sunday of Advent.
Balik-Tanaw is a group blog of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR). The Lectionary Gospel reflection is an invitation for meditation, contemplation, and action.
