Leonardo da Vinci painted the fresco (wall painting), “The Last Supper,” in Santa Maria delle Grazie church in Milan in three years (1495-1498). A very interesting story is associated with this painting. At the time that Leonardo da Vinci painted “The Last Supper,” he had an enemy who was a fellow painter. Da Vinci had had a bitter argument with this man and despised him. When Da Vinci painted the face of Judas Iscariot at the table with Jesus, he used the face of his enemy so that it would be present for ages as the man who betrayed Jesus. While painting this picture, he took delight in knowing that others would actually notice the face of his enemy on Judas.

As he worked on the faces of the other disciples, he often tried to paint the face of Jesus but couldn’t make any progress. Da Vinci felt frustrated and confused. In time, he realized what was wrong. His hatred for the other painter was holding him back from finishing the face of Jesus. Only after making peace with his fellow -painter and repainting the face of Judas was he able to paint the face of Jesus and complete his masterpiece.

Be reconciled with others and with God! This is the overarching theme of our readings this weekend.

In the First Reading, Isaiah gives us a prediction of the first coming of Jesus, the Messiah. He prophesies how God will raise up a Messianic King after King David. “On the day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” The future Messianic King will rule forever because “the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.” Further, the Kingdom that this King will establish is characterized by the perfect harmony of Paradise, a world in which “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them…” This is, no doubt, an image of a reconciled world and a peaceful community made possible only by the working of the Holy Spirit.

In the Gospel, John the Baptist preaches a message that is inextricably linked to reconciliation. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Literally, the Greek word is metanoia which means “to change one’s mind and heart.” It involves turning around and facing a new direction with a change of heart and a new commitment, this time with the Lord God. Hence, John recommends putting an ax to the root of the trees that do not bear good fruits – an ax to the roots of resentments and biases in our hearts, to our greed and overindulgence, and to selfishness and impatience.

Friends, be reconciled to others, to the Church and to God. Come to our Communal Penance Service on December 13th at 7:00 p.m. There will be over 20 priests who will come to bring the mercy of God to you, so you can celebrate Christmas joyfully knowing your hearts are clean and your paths are straight.