December 2, 2025 // Special

Fruitfulness in the ‘Winter Desert’ of Advent

Todays Catholic

By Father Zane Langenbrunner

“Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”
– Matthew 3:1-12

In this Sunday’s Gospel, St. John the Baptist bursts rather suddenly onto the scene. While Luke’s Gospel gives us his origin story (see 1:5-25, 57-80), both Matthew and Mark (see Mark 1:4) report a more abrupt appearance. John’s message is simple and urgent – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” – and the response of the people seems to be almost universal: “Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan” go out to confess their sins and receive John’s baptism of repentance.

We would do well to follow this example. Imagine if Fort Wayne, South Bend, and the whole region within the diocese went to confession during this Advent season. There are ample opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation in parishes around the diocese, and we could all surely think of some sin or bad habit from which we need to repent. Making a good confession is an important part of a well-lived Advent.

But St. John the Baptist demands more than repentance, even more than confession of sins. He demands fruitfulness. When the Pharisees and Sadducees come forward, John calls them a “brood of vipers” who are attempting to “flee from the coming wrath,” i.e., judgment at the hands of the coming Messiah. John does not find their repentance genuine, and so he demands “good fruit” as proof (literally, in Greek, “fruit worthy of repentance”). In this way, he joins the great choir of biblical voices who associate “fruits” with good works (see, for instance, Psalm 1:3, Isaiah 37:31, Jeremiah 17:8, John 15:1-2, and Galatians 5:22-23). We might prayerfully consider which fruits, which concrete acts of charity, the Lord is asking us to produce this Advent.

Producing fruit, however, does not happen overnight. A regular-sized apple tree takes anywhere from seven to 10 years to grow from seed to fruit bearing maturity. We only get to enjoy the apple after an extended, carefully cultivated, and often hidden process of growth. Likewise, we form good habits and perform good actions only after a long period of intentional formation. As the Lord Jesus says, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). Becoming a good tree, a good man, or a good woman takes time. There are no shortcuts to fruitfulness.

All this talk of fruit and trees, however, belies the context of this Sunday’s Gospel: the desert. Deserts are defined by their extreme temperatures and lack of vegetation. If producing fruit is an arduous process in normal contexts, it is almost impossible in the desert. We typically associate the desert with the season of Lent, yet we find ourselves “in the desert of Judea” here in the second week of Advent. And, indeed, the shorter, darker, colder days of December can sometimes feel like a desert. A 2022 poll found that declining mood may affect 38 percent of Americans in the winter, with symptoms including loss of interest in normal activities, trouble sleeping, and fatigue. These symptoms seem to increase in more northern and more rural areas, which certainly describes our diocese. Northern Indiana may seem a far cry from the Judean desert, but it may feel just as fruitless on our worst winter days.

How, then, do we overcome the challenge of the “winter desert” to produce the fruit that Christ is asking of us this Advent?

First, we might consider adjusting our sleep schedule to match the reduced sunlight of winter. On June 20, the summer solstice, South Bend had more than 15 hours of sunlight. On December 7, there will only be an estimated 9 hours and 40 minutes! This shift significantly affects our circadian rhythm, the body’s internal 24-hour clock, and naturally makes our bodies require more sleep in the wintertime. We do not need to fight our bodies here. Setting an earlier bedtime and getting more sleep each day can make our Advent much more fruitful.

Next, taking a cue from this Sunday’s second reading, we can make plans to “welcome one another … as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). Extending hospitality to loved ones is a common and commendable part of the holiday season, and many “Christmas” parties for work or school occur throughout Advent. But these are no replacement for the deeper, more intentional faith-sharing that must sustain any Christian life. This can happen within our families, especially through prayer in using the Advent wreath. It can also happen in Bible studies or small groups that meet at the parish. It can even happen over a quick lunch or coffee with a brother or sister in Christ with whom you haven’t caught up for a while. It is this deeper, more personal fellowship that allows us to experience the larger festivities of Advent and Christmas in a fruitful way.

Finally, we can prayerfully offer up our seasonal sufferings as penance, both for ourselves and for others in need of conversion. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Gospel, we likely know someone in need of a wholesale revision of life. Maybe that someone is you. Either way, this revision can only happen by God’s grace. Our penances – freely embraced and prayerfully offered – can become conduits of that grace. They can become, in the hands of the Lord, “fruits worthy of repentance.”

Father Zane Langenbrunner is parochial vicar at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Fort Wayne.