Reflection on Is 11: 1-10; Rom 15: 4-9; Mt 3: 1-12
Paul
writing to the Romans confirms that Christ fulfilled the promises made to the
ancestors as the faithful servant of God. His presence on earth has been an
expression of God's mercy to all, even to the Pagans who were considered as the
ones who have no chance of salvation. Anyone who identifies himself with Christ
as his follower should have the same his feelings. Thus, the faith and
fellowship of the Romans and all Christians become a concrete way of propagation
of good news of the gospel by producing good crops for the glory of God. This
is the truth of our identity.
The
Gospel speaks of John the Baptist who appears in the desert proclaiming the
Word of God. John's ability comes from the experience of this Word because no
one can give evidence of something without having the opportunity to experience
this thing. John begins his work in the desert. In the Bible the desert is a
special place to experience of the Word of God. In that place, many leaders
lived an inner experience of God to prepare themselves for the work of leading
God's people according to his guidance and his will. John the Baptist is the
last prophet and considered the greatest of all prophets.
The
coming of John the Baptist follows the plan of God who has a perfect time for everything.
As John is the link between the Old and New Testaments, his work announces that
the Messianic times have begun. He is just a voice that prepares the ways of
the Lord. First of all, he announced the penance to the people in order to
welcome the kingdom of God that is near us. This kingdom means the presence of
God among his people in Jesus’ person and the welcome to this kingdom happens
when we give permission to God's work in our lives.
Besides
the words, John used also the baptism to prepared the people to receive the
Messiah. Through this sign he announced God's mercy available to everyone
because it is God's plan that his salvation can reach all. John's baptism could
not remove people's sins and John realized that well. So, if this baptism did
not have the power to remove sins, why did John use this sign? It is because he
wanted to help the people to recognise their sins and open their hearts to God’s
mercy. It was a preparation to the new baptism that the Messiah will use as the
external gesture of the passage from sin to grace and from death to new life.
The
baptism of John is different from the baptism of Jesus, but both are
opportunities to live a new life. In our case, new life is the gift of Christ
and the result of his mission. Christian baptism, beyond of the remission of
sins, guarantees participation in God's own life. Baptism is the first of the
three sacraments of initiation followed by Confirmation and the Eucharist for a
complete Christian initiation. Our baptism is an outward sign of death to
sinful life, and of resurrection to new life in Christ who is victorious over
sin and death. He is a true light that enlightens everyone. Through this process
we have become children of light so that we walk in the light of God every day
of our lives.
The
Advent season helps us to prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus. John's
humble life is an invitation to us to do the same so that our lives can please
God. The things John said to the Pharisees and Sadducees are also important for
us: about repentance, words are not enough; we have to show the real signs of
our change, otherwise we will not be able to prepare ourselves properly to
welcome Jesus. There are many obstacles to remove from our lives with the help
of God's mercy. So, let's take this good opportunity to celebrate the sacrament
of Reconciliation (and penance) and live in a new way our relationship with God
and others.
Fr Ndega
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