Brothers and Sisters,
In ancient times, when a king was going to visit a city, he would send before him someone to herald his coming, someone to announce that he would be arriving soon. The herald would go around the city, and go before the leaders of the city, telling them all, “The king is coming. He will be here any day. So, be prepared to welcome him.” As we look at the Gospel reading for this week (Mk 1:1-8), this is what we see going on. The King is coming, and He has sent a herald, John the Baptist, to announce His arrival. The king, of course, is Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. John’s message is that the people need to reform their lives and prepare for Christ’s coming. He does this by calling the people to repent and be baptized. In this second week of Advent, Mark emphasizes the importance of Christ’s coming by pointing out how Isaiah had prophesied not only the arrival of Jesus but even the appearance of the messenger, John. God had long been preparing this significant moment in the world’s history, and wanted to do everything possible to awaken his people of His coming.
Christ longs to dwell in every human heart; there are many who have not met him or welcomed him. With each person, Jesus continues to use this same approach as in the Gospel reading. He sends his heralds ahead of him. We are those heralds today. Each of us is Christ’s messenger, boldly proclaiming the truth and grace of Christ by our words, deeds, and example. Among the many responsibilities each of us has, none is greater or more rewarding than cooperating with the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts for the Lord. Are we being faithful messengers?
God Bless,
Deacon Howard
