Readings: Baruch 5:1-9; Phil 1:4-6, 8-11; Lk. 3:1-6
Let us meet the Lord in
the Desert!
1. Last week, Jeremiah encouraged us to be hopeful because God “Will raise up for David a just shoot.” Today, his secretary, Baruch, continued that message of hope and restoration for the Babylonian exiles: “Jerusalem, take off your mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the miter that displays the glory of the eternal name.” Baruch prophesied that God would visit his people and bring them home again with glory. “Led away on foot by their enemies, they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.” But they must go through the desert where John the Baptist awaits, calling them to a life of repentance.
2.
The desert, a place of
profound spiritual growth, has been a significant part of the journey for many.
It is a place where transformation is not just possible but inevitable.
“Behold I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her
heart.” (Hosea 2:16). John was not the first prophet to make the inward
journey through the desert. Many prophets before him and after found God by way
of the desert. Moses discovered God in the desert. (Ex. 3:2-5). The Israelites were taught obedience and
submission in the desert, where they wandered for 40 days and 40 nights. (Joshua
5:6). David fled his son Absalom into the desert and sought God’s protection. (2
Sam 15:23; Ps. 3). After his conversion, St. Paul went into the desert to seek
clarification for his newfound faith and discovered his mission. (Gal. 1:17).
Mohammed encountered Allah in the desert. Many monks and hermits spent a life
of penitence and prayer in the desert. John the Baptist lived, prayed, and
preached there as well. He urged people to repent and prepare the way for the
Messiah. Christ, St. Luke reports, was led by the Spirit into the desert, where
he encountered God in preparation for his mission. These men took refuge in the
desert away from the distraction and noise of everyday life. They did not run
away from the world but went into the desert to better prepare to face the
world.
3. The desert is dry and unforgiving; it exposes everyone to the elements in their raw form. William Bausch states, “You are as close to the edge of life and death as you could possibly be. No excess, no luxury, no illusions in the desert, just a total, vast, harsh emptiness. You live in total dependence, from hand to mouth, from day to day. There are no distractions, no television sets, no microwaves, no cars, no nothing. Everything becomes intensely focused on the bare facts of existence, of yourself, and of God. There is just you – your utter, complete self and the vast emptiness of the desert. And the challenge the desert offers is this: what will you find there? Will you find God? If not there, then nowhere else.” It is fitting that John calls us to prepare for the coming of the Messiah by way of the desert. Here, we will be humbled by the desert experience and find God. Then we would say with the Psalmist, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” We must be ready to do a few things right. We must embrace the simplicity and humility that the desert teaches us, grounding us in our connection to God and each other. In the simplicity of the desert, we find the richness of our faith. In the humility of the desert, we find the strength of our connection to God and each other.
4. The voice crying in the wilderness exhorts us
to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley
shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding
roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh
shall see the salvation of God.” We have many mountains in life to
either climb or bring low. We must bring down the hill of laziness in prayer or
other religious activities. Let us work on our mountain of pride and arrogance.
We must fill in the valley of cluttering by learning to do with less and giving
away the extra. There is nothing to distract us in the desert, so we should do
more with less and grow rich spiritually. Let go of too much, give them away,
and you will find joy. Our winding roads must be made straight. Dishonesty,
lies, gossip, hateful and malicious speech, name-calling in high places, and
uncharitable behaviors are some of the crooked paths we must make straight. We
need proper tools to make the winding road straight for the Messiah. Prayer
and wonderful sacramental life, sprinkled with ample water of charitable acts,
coated with the bitumen of forgiveness, mercy, and compassion, are the
machinery needed. These would help us build a reconstructed road for the
Messiah to pass into our hearts. Hence, John the Baptist calls us to repent, to
change our hearts, adopt a new way of doing things, and see things differently.
Repentance is not a one-time act but a continuous commitment to spiritual growth
and preparation for the coming of the Messiah. In this journey of
repentance and spiritual growth, we find the joy that fills our hearts and
souls bringing us closer to the Messiah.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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