Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8
The Voices in Our
Life
1. On this second Sunday of Advent, we meet John the Baptist again, as we do every year. John was humble but courageous, a defender of the truth and a fearless preacher. His dressing and eating habits looked simple and austere, but he was passionate and committed to his mission. John was the voice crying in the wilderness, calling people to repent. His preaching was direct and urgent: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Mk. 1:3). He proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. For fear of being mistaken for who he was not, John was quick to add: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mk.1:7-8).
2. In the first reading, Isaiah assured the people that God was coming into the wilderness – their land of captivity in Babylon and bringing them out of exile. “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.” (Is. 40:1-2). Isaiah urged his listeners to prepare the way for the Lord in the desert. “Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, abroad valley. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.” (Isaiah 40:3-5). Isaiah was told to “Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, herald of good news! Here comes with power the Lord God, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him.” (Isaiah 40:9-10).
3. We see another herald of good tidings in the Gospel in the person of John the Baptist. The recipient of John’s good news had to confess their sins. We, too, must prepare the way for the Lord in the desert of our hearts. We must also be heralds of good tidings. Good heralds must pay attention to the positive voices in their lives. The voice of conscience is warning, begging, and encouraging us to stop making bad decisions. We hear these voices crying, not only from the wilderness but from the pulpit, from street corners, from men and women of integrity, telling us the truth about our life and our relationship with God. Do we always listen? No, only if they tell us what we want to hear rather than what we ought to hear. The message is simple: repent, make a U-turn, change your mind, change the course of your life, be alert, be watchful, and pay attention; you are on the wrong path, the wrong trajectory; stop and think before you act. Those who listen and prepare the way will receive the Messiah when he comes, either at his birth or at his second coming.
4. Today, dear friends, we must listen to the voice of the one crying in the wilderness. He calls us to do the right so that the Messiah will find us waiting in readiness for him when he comes. Peter tells us in the second reading to be eager and be found without spot or blemish before him at peace when he comes. It was on account of Jesus our Messiah at the Transfiguration that the Father’s voice was heard from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5). There are different voices that compete for our attention. The voice of our doctor gives us medical advice. The voice of our lawyer gives us legal advice, and our teacher’s voice directs us in our academic pursuits. The voices of our parents point us in the right direction in life. The voice of our therapist helps us to maintain a balanced mental state. The voice of our pastor, re-echoing the voice of the Church, enables us to achieve and maintain a stable spiritual and religious well-being. The discordant voices of politicians, confusing at times, should allow us to make up our minds and decide the best way to live our lives. We are not bound to follow anyone incapable of telling the truth.
5. Despite all the voices of our life, it is Christ that we must ultimately listen to. John the Baptist has told us to make a pathway for Jesus in our hearts. By so doing, we realize the meaning of peace and joy at the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. May the voice of John and the many positive voices of our lives challenge us to bring down the mountain of pride, fill in the valley of deceit, and make straight the highway of corruption and dishonesty so that our Lord may dwell in our hearts made clean by works of charity and penitence! Remember to read a chapter of John’s gospel a day for 21 days and the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians chapters 1-4. Be blessed!
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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