Sunday, December 10, 2023
Do you have a guest room in your home? Perhaps it’s an extra bedroom, a finished basement, or maybe just a pull-out couch in the living room! Is the guest room or space ready for company if they would come knocking on your door at this very moment? Or maybe you need some time to put away items that have been piling up in it, time to bring out fresh bedsheets and towels and time to make sure the space and your home are ready for company?
Today in the opening chapter of Mark’s Gospel we read about John the Baptist and his life’s calling of being the precursor to Jesus. A calling that was foretold by the prophet Isaiah in today’s Old Testament reading. Miraculously born in Judaea to Saint Zachary, and Saint Elizabeth, a relative of Saint Mary, six months before the birth of Jesus. John descended from the priestly tribe of Levi and his ministry included preaching and baptizing. While there is no indication that John came from wealth, still he opted to withdraw into a harsh existence in preparation for his ministry. We learn from the Gospels that he lived in isolation in the desert, wore coarse garments made up of camel’s hair and fed on locusts and wild honey.
In preparing Jews and Gentiles for the coming of the Lord, John called people to repentance and baptized them as a sign of purification. This was unusual for the Jewish people, not that baptism was uncommon to them, but because baptism was reserved for Gentiles who were converting to Judaism. The converts also underwent circumcision, and had to bring a sacrificial animal as recompence for their sins. But John did not discern between Jews and Gentiles, he called both to be baptized.
John points us to the coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and the readings for today tell us that advent is a time for repentance so we can be reconciled with God, and to prepare for His coming. How do we prepare for Jesus’ arrival? We can turn to God for guidance, we can go more frequently to daily mass, we can accompany prayer with fasting. Fasting can be abstaining of food or other worldly things such as turning the phone off while we pray or read scriptures, staying off social media or materials that are not spiritually enriching.
“If you desire that devotion be born in your spirit and that the love of God and the desire for divine things increase, cleanse your soul of every desire, attachment, and ambition in such a way that you have no concern about anything.” These are the words of Saint John of the Cross whose memorial is celebrated this Thursday. Let us prepare a place in our heart for the coming of Jesus during this Advent season by exercising spiritual detachment. “Let every heart prepare Him room.”
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.