The Kingdom of God is at Hand, Prepare!

Listening to the Spirit

Lord Jesus, you who are truly God and truly man, I thank you for the baptism you offer to us in the fire of the Spirit. Through this, I receive power and graces, forgiveness of sins and become a new creature, an adopted child of God, a partaker of the divine nature, a temple of the Holy Spirit. Help me every day to welcome you day after day in the simplicity of my life. Amen.

Listening to the Word

Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:

A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan Riveras they acknowledged their sins. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Reflection

Last Sunday as we started the new liturgical year with the first Sunday of Advent, the figure of Noah was given by Jesus to us as example of faith (cf. Gen 6:5-9, 17; Mt 24:37-44), simplicity, obedience and putting into action the Word of God. We understood that ‘‘the days of Noah’’ refer to a time marked by generations who abandon their God, violence and indifference.

As a spiritual preparation, since sometimes we live and act without worrying about God, the today’s invitation is clear: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”. Repentance is from a Greek word Metanoia, which means change of mind, heart and attitude demanded by personal conversion. May all our concerns, all anxiety be dispelled before the mystery of God who comes to our aid and makes himself close to journey with us.

Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation, a good opportunity to prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is a special occasion given to us for repentance and conversion; to adjust our lives as John the Baptist proclaims in today’s gospel. We can understand why in his humility, he explained his mission as the Forerunner: “I baptize you in water for conversion. But he who comes behind me is stronger than I, and I am not worthy to take off his sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire”. Let us dare to allow the Spirit to do something new in our lives now.

Therefore, we don’t have to be afraid of dying a bad death; instead, let us be afraid of living a bad life. And we can really enjoy a good life if we take profit of this season to examine our lives, going for confession. For the renewal of our communities of faith comes through the love and forgiveness that Jesus brings for humankind. Actually, in Him dwells the fulness of the Holy Spirit’s gifts described in the prophecy of Isaiah the liturgy gives us in the first reading, “a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord”.

Time of silence and mercy. Surely, most of us, if not all are sinners. It is not easy to keep ready for the coming of our Lord. That is why we are called to open our hearts and receive the strength coming from the Holy Spirit who begs us to convert because time is to mercy! Like those who were listening to John the Baptist, we might as this question, how do we convert? The response is by putting into practice the words of the prophets who never cease to remind us of what pleases God: by presenting to God a contrite heart, broken and crushed like David in Psalm 50; by putting all our trust in the Lord’s promise: “I will take away from their flesh the heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh?” (Ez 11:19).