Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Second Sunday of Advent.

Imagine what the Old Testament prophets or John the Baptist would have made of our modern ability literally to "move mountains"! When I read today's Scriptures, with their descriptions of filling valleys, leveling mountains and road-building, I picture a vast fleet of earth-moving equipment, and thousands of people at work. Could those Biblical visionaries have had the same picture?

Such imagination is helpful in the Advent season, as we wait for God's promises to be fulfilled. Some of the obstacles to the coming of the Kingdom seem overwhelming. The evil that confronts us in the world, in the form of human greed, violence and injustice is formidable.

But I often find that inner obstacles are just as daunting. My own selfishness, greed, intolerance, and even the temptation to violence seem so hard to root out. I could use a bulldozer or two to help!

Paul, in the second reading, offers us another source of power to effect change: the power of prayer. Paul is confident that God, who has begun to work in the lives of the Philippians, will bring that work to completion. He prays that they will grow in love, knowledge, and the ability to choose what's right.

Thanks to the witness and example of fellow Christians I can believe in the power of prayer. Let's pray for each other in these Advent days.

I’m Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for St. Anthony Messenger Press, on the Web at FranciscanRadio.org.