Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the Gospel of Sunday, December 7, 2025, entitled, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

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The Word of God that we proclaim this second Sunday of Advent is a serious and profound invitation to  conversion .

The Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begins with this call from Saint John the Baptist:  Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths!  Jesus calls for conversion.

A great temptation you can fall into is thinking that you’re already converted, that you don’t need conversion, that you’re already good enough, and therefore there’s nothing to change in your life; or, conversely, thinking that your life is beyond repair, that it’s not worth fighting for because you can’t change it.  Or you might remain stuck in a merely moralistic conversion: focusing only on a few details, but not getting to the heart of the matter:  who is the Lord of your life?

Therefore, today’s Gospel seriously warns you that the time for conversion has arrived, that to prepare for the coming of the Lord you must always be in an attitude of conversion.

God wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. God loves you more than anyone else.  Christ comes to save you.  For this, He wants your cooperation and a fundamental attitude:  conversion, which is a sincere and total return   to God. This means placing your life in His hands and orienting it according to the Gospel; accepting to be guided by Him and trusting in His love.

Preparing the way for the Lord means always being open to conversion. It means overcoming the pride of those who think they do everything right and the hypocrisy of those who only criticize the faults of others without looking at their own.

Conversion means changing your way of thinking in order to change your way of living.  It means embracing the Word of God so that it changes your heart, and so that you can have the same feelings and attitudes that Jesus had.

Conversion means rejecting the world’s lifestyle in order to have the lifestyle of Jesus.

Conversion means that the Gospel must transform your whole life, that you must be Christian in everything, that there can be no corner of your life closed to the Word of God.

Conversion means accepting Jesus Christ as the only Master and the only Lord  of your life.

Conversion means taking the Christian life seriously. Don’t rely solely on being baptized, attending Mass every Sunday, or showing up at the parish. These things are necessary, but not enough! You must live according to the Word of God, strive to be faithful to Jesus Christ and the Church, and bear fruit in mercy and charity.

To convert and prepare the way for the Lord means that you must strive, you must fight to be a Christian, just as an athlete must train, strive, and fight to win a medal. You, too, must strive and work diligently if you want to attain eternal life. This effort of conversion is not merely a human endeavor.

Conversion is first and foremost a work of God’s grace, which draws our hearts back to Him. God is the one who gives us the strength to begin anew. Upon discovering the greatness of God’s love, our hearts tremble at our sins. It is the movement of the “repentant heart,” drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God, who loved us first.

Conversion means living with patience and love; that is, living the cross of each day  with strength and love, supported by the Word of God that renews the world and transforms your heart if you allow yourself to be filled by it.

Come, Lord Jesus!