John the Baptist makes his appearance on this Second Sunday of Advent, reminding us that he is simply a voice in the desert preparing the way of the Lord. I don't think we appreciate the courage John displayed in carrying out this task until we find ourselves in situations where everything said, and everything done is NOT according to the "way of the Lord." Rather, people seem to talk and behave as if there were no "way of the Lord," and each person is free to follow desires and instincts that are in total opposition to what, let's say, the Church has perennially taught. How does one change the level of conversation, or tactfully approach a person as an avalanche of contrary values smothers what is right and true? John did not hesitate to challenge values and life styles, and point to Jesus. As a champion of the truth, he eventually lost his head for it, but has left us with an example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Not only a follower, but a spokesman whose words were supported by his actions. Further meditation and prayer on Mark 1:1-8 would be helpful in giving our Advent observence some teeth. Our prayer might be: Lord, give me the guts of St. John the Baptist.
Bro. Rene
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment