The message from today’s readings tells us to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus. With the approaching of Christmas, the day when we will be celebrating the incarnation of God on earth, we are reminded how the people of the Old Testament waited for the arrival of Baby Jesus as the promised Messiah. Through the New Testament readings, we are reminded of the patience of the Lord in His second and final coming that will serve the purpose of our salvation, the Lord not wanting any to perish.

Traveling back through time, let us imagine that we were living in the days of the great prophet Isaiah. It was about 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Through the great prophet Isaiah, God was speaking to His people.

As Biblical history tells us, God’s chosen people were not always faithful to Him. When the people lived righteously by obeying the Commandments, they received Divine blessings. When they lived in sin, they were punished. Now the day had arrived when God was revealing to those who lived in Jerusalem that they had served their term. They had paid double the penalty for their sins of unfaithfulness.

Through Isaiah, God told the people to prepare the way for His coming. They were not told when He would come, if it would be in a year, ten years or a hundred years. As Biblical history reveals to us, many generations went by before the Lord Jesus was born, in fact, about seven hundred years.

When reading the Holy Bible, it is important to perceive that the Holy Scriptures speak of a progressive Kingdom of God. At present, the Kingdom of God is coming and has arrived. For those of us on earth who are walking our faith in Christ by the grace of God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual Kingdom of God is coming. For our saintly brothers and sisters who have passed away and who are dwelling in Heaven, the Kingdom of God has arrived.

In today’s Second Reading, we heard St. Peter’s warning. Do not ignore this one fact, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years. The Lord is slow, as some think of slowness, about His final promise of the eternal glory that His children will inherit. Why? Because the Lord does not want any to perish, that all come to repentance.

From the Gospel of Mark, we heard today that John the Baptist was the messenger who came ahead of the Lord Jesus to announce His public life. When John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness, Jesus was already born. But His public ministry had not begun yet.

The words of John the Baptist echoed the words of the great prophet Isaiah, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight.’ After waiting for 700 years, the Jewish people were told that the moment had now arrived. Through the baptism of repentance that John the Baptism preached, the people were forgiven of their sins. Here we hear of the people confessing their sins. We see the foundation of the Church Sacrament of Reconciliation. The people were transforming their lives, becoming righteous in preparation to receive the Lord Jesus. Equally, when one receives the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he is made righteous in the eyes of God so he may receive Jesus in the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist.

And so we see John the Baptist in today’s Gospel, waist deep in the waters of the river Jordan. On the bank stand God’s people – Israelites. John calls them to repent for the forgiveness of their sins: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.

Some people begin to move, touched by the prophet’s words. They walk down the bank and into the water to John. We are told they were baptized and that they confessed their sins.

Some stayed on the banks. ‘What’s all this talk about sin?’ Some said ‘I have no sin!’

Some said ‘I have too many sins!’ Some said ‘I only have little sins!’

John called on them all to repent; some did.

Two thousand years later that same call for repentance comes to God’s people.

In the person of his priests, but not only of his priests, the call to repentance comes: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.

Now, instead of hundreds of people on the banks of the river Jordan there are millions of people all over the world, listening to the Advent invitation. Some begin to move – Africans, Asians, South Americans, North Americans, Russians, Australians, and Chinese. Prostitutes and tax collectors, rich and poor – and they confess their sins and are forgiven.

Some remain standing on the bank.  I have no sin.  I have too many sins.  I only have little sins, not worth worrying about.

And today, the modern heresy:

I don’t need to confess even my grave sins to a priest!

Thereby throwing the sacrament of Reconciliation back into the face of Jesus.

The consoling message does not stop, however. It seeks out hearts ready to listen; hearts which don’t make excuses; hearts which see their need.

Through the Church Sacrament of Reconciliation, one prepares the way for the Lord to come into his whole being. He cleans his soul, his mind, his heart, so his body may be suitable for the indwelling Divine Presence of the Lord God.

So great is the Divine Presence of the Lord Jesus that John the Baptist, as a sinner, felt unworthy to stoop down and untie the thongs of His sandals. These words echo the words of Simon Peter who also perceived the Divine power of Jesus when he said, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ [Lk. 5:9]

Today’s Gospel Reading finishes by telling us that while John baptized the people with water, Jesus baptized those He loves with the Holy Spirit. [Mk. 1:8] Through Christ, we are sanctified to become in His likeness, holy, righteous, obedient and submissive to God’s Divine Will, shining in love towards others and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Our baptism in the Holy Spirit is ongoing, being reflected by our living faith in Christ, by our walking the path of Christ, by our patient endurance, by our bearing of the daily crosses that the Lord permits to come our way, and forgiving those who trespass against us.

By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit in the Most Holy Name of Jesus, we allow all these things to happen to us so we may be spiritually transformed to prepare the way of the Lord. Weekly, we unite with our faith community as one to receive Christ in our lives through the Church Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Daily, we remain united in communion with Christ while patiently waiting for His glorious return when all what is seen shall come to an end. United in prayer for the lost souls, we rejoice that the Lord is delaying His final return as the assurance of the salvation of many who otherwise would not be saved. Our patience is credited to us as a sign of our love towards sinners, we wanting that all be saved by the grace of God the Father. For the Lamb of God died for all of us!