THE WORD
BE PREPARED Mt 3:1-12
John the Baptist was something of a tough character. His clothing and food were rough and ready. A camel skin fastened with a leather belt did for a garment, and locusts and wild honey served as food. Locusts were one of the few insects that Jewish law considered as fit for food. His clothing and food suggests John was a man on the fringes of decent society. Readers of the Old Testament would have recognised him in some of the features of the prophet Elijah. Like Elijah, John was a tough talking prophet who had little fear of authority.
John’s message is blunt and to the point: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” John was a prophet calling for the renewal of Israel. As a symbol that they were willing to become part of that renewal, he invited his hearers to be baptised in the river Jordan. Total immersion as a way of obtaining religious purity was a long-standing practice in Judaism.But John gives it a new twist. It is no longer simply a way of obtaining release fromm ritual impurities such as touching something that was unclean. For John, it is a symbol of conversion of heart and repentance.
In his preaching, John is particularly hard on the self-righteous religious leaders like the Pharisees and the self-serving aristocrats who controlled the Temple, the Saduccees. Even when they come to him for baptism, he questions their sincerity. If they want to repent, he tells them, they must abandon easy slogans boasting of their pure Jewish blood as descendants of Abraham. In the times that are coming, racial purity will count for nothing because God can raise up children of Abraham from the very stones! True love of God is what counts.
John knows that it’s not all about him. He is meerly the messenger for a more powerful figure who is on the way. While he baptises with water the one who is coming after him will bring a more powerful baptism. Instead of immersing people in water he will baptise them with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John uses the image of threshing after a harvest to describe the work fo the future Messiah. Threshing is the final act of harvest time. The bundles of corn were laid on a stone floor and the grain beaten out. The grain was saved for human consumption while the rough straw and husks were burned. Matthew is fond of this image of a final judgement by fire. Those who want to be saved must be ready for the final judgement.
LEARN
*The Christian is always aware of the importance of repentance.
*The Christian turns towards God every day.
DO
Read today’s Gospel slowly. Picture the scene. Imagine you are there. How would you have responded to the words of John? How do you respond today?
SAY
“Lord, help me to turn towards you. Strengthen me to serve you every day of my life. Amen.”
PRAY
Pray for your local parish community and for Christians everywhere that they will have the courage to speak the truth with confidence.
REFLECT
Advent was traditionally a season of repentance . It was sometimes known as the Christmas Lent. Just as Christians prepared for Easter by a time of more intense prayer, fasting and deeds of loving kindness, so preparation for Christmas involves an element of renewal and repentance. That can be difficult for us today. The run up to Christmas often involves office parties or similar celebrations.
John the Baptist invites us during these middle Sundays of Advent to take stock of who we are and what we really want. Is there something about our lives that needs to change if we are to celebrate the season of Christmas with renewed faith and compassion? What do we need to do to be closer to Jesus?
