2nd Sunday of Advent (08.12.13)<\/p>\n
The voice that cries from the wilderness<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Advent is the time when we are reminded that we have to\u00a0wait<\/span>\u00a0for God.\u00a0 We cannot grasp God.\u00a0 We cannot possess Him.\u00a0 We cannot see Him.\u00a0 We can only wait for Him to let Himself be known.\u00a0 And when we wait for God, we confess our own incompleteness.\u00a0 We acknowledge that there is more to God than what we know, and so, we place our trust and hope in Him.\u00a0 Our waiting then is a prayer, testifying to our own poverty and to His greatness.<\/p>\n St John the Baptist is the last of the great prophets.\u00a0 He is the one who marks the end of the time of waiting and the beginning of the new age in Jesus.\u00a0 Notice, he preaches from the wilderness \u2013 not in the hurly burley of a life full of worldly distractions.\u00a0 This is an extraordinary tribute to John\u2019s power and charisma.\u00a0 Why should crowds of people flock out to desert territory to listen to a sermon!\u00a0 They are drawn to him because they obviously believe that he speaks the authentic word of the Lord, although his mission is to profess the unpalatable truth\u00a0 – calling them to repentance, \u00a0to acknowledge and confess their sins, and then be baptised publically, thus indicating their sincere intention to try and change their sinful ways.<\/p>\n John\u2019s call is also addressed to us today. We hear it especially during the beautiful season of Advent \u2013 that time of waiting for the coming of the Christ-Child at Christmas.\u00a0 The challenge of aspiring to a radical change of heart is addressed to each of us without exception. We are probably all aware of areas in our own lives that need to be changed and to be touched by the power of God\u2019s forgiveness.<\/p>\n We all need to be recalled into the fidelity of our own Baptism.\u00a0\u00a0 We all need to be challenged again by the Word of the Lord.\u00a0\u00a0 We don\u2019t have to go into the wilderness to hear that Word.\u00a0 We hear it here in this place.<\/p>\n Hearing it and acting on it is the best preparation for the coming of the Lord.<\/p>\n Perhaps we could pause here a moment and ponder whether we allot any quiet time in our busy lives to just sit and\u00a0be<\/strong>\u00a0with our God \u2013 saying nothing, just listening to what He might want to whisper to us alone. What grace and peace come from such a \u201cwilderness\u201d experience!\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 2nd Sunday of Advent (08.12.13) The voice that cries from the wilderness: Advent is the time when we are reminded that we have to\u00a0wait\u00a0for God.\u00a0 We cannot grasp God.\u00a0 We cannot possess Him.\u00a0 We cannot see Him.\u00a0 We can only … Continue reading