Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent and in the Gospel passage we hear that “the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah.” This is John the Baptist, who scholars tell us might well have been connected with the Essene sect of Judaism, a monastic-type community that lived in the Judean desert near the Dead Sea.
What does it mean that “the word of God” came to him? I think it means that he “heard” God, not necessarily with his ears, but he heard him nonetheless. When he heard God, John took this message seriously and his life took a new direction. He became a man who announced to the world the blessing that was coming in Jesus, the Christ, the promised Messiah. When John heard God’s word and responded to it, he became a prophet. By calling people to acknowledge their sins and recognize their need for salvation that could come from God alone, John prepared the way in people’s hearts for the Messiah’s coming.
This season of Advent is one way that the Church helps us to prepare our hearts for the Lord’s coming. Has “the word of God” come to you lately? Has he called you to take some kind of action, maybe even to move in a new direction in your life? If you say that “the word of God” has never come to you, then I would suggest you have not been listening well. God speaks to all of us, but we are not always ready to listen. The ears of our hearts are often tuned into the “noise” of this world and it makes it difficult to hear God’s call deep in our hearts.
As the world rushes around preparing for a mostly secular version of Christmas, today’s Gospel passage invites us to slow down, be still and listen. We just might, like John the Baptist, have “the word of God” come to us and that “word” might just call us to change, to move in a new direction. The question is – Are we listening?
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
