John the Baptist

A prominent figure in the Advent Season is John the Baptist, cousing of Jesus and last of the prophets. He comes across as a passionate, brutally honest, challenging, fearless, and focused speaker, something like Fr. John Corapi in our day. He has a message, "prepare the way," and is not meely mouthed about it. Phrases and words such as "Clean up your act" , "change", "repent" fly from his lips and pierce the hearts of his listeners who gladly plunge into the River Jordan to receive his baptism as a sign of their willingness to follow his teaching. Even Jesus submits to this action, much to the protest of John, who says it should be just the opposite. John was the first to recognize Jesus and to realize that he was the One for whom he was preparing the way, "whose sandal he was not worthy to unfasten." (cf. Jn 1: 27).
As we find ourselves mid-way through Advent, and look back asking how were the first two weeks any different from other weeks, we might find the challenge of John the Baptist as the key to finding the desire and energy to make the last two weeks THE time to live up to our plans for more prayer and reflection, even as we find ourselves gearing up more and more with practical things like Christmas shopping, lending a helping hand with this organization or that, baking, decorating. God does not expect the impossible from us, and neither should we. Just a conscious thought before entering a store along the lines of doing this for the love of Jesus, who so loved us by becoming one of us, as well as for the person for whom we are shopping. Even our rushing about and caring for the many unfastened sandals in our lives can be part of our prayerful preparation for Christmas simply by placing it in God's hands and turning our hearts to him while we are "busy about many things."
Bro. Rene