2nd Sunday of Advent (B)/Voice Crying in the Desert

      In today’s Gospel we have John de Baptist, an extra ordinary “agent” sent by God to speak in behalf of His Son. He was the voice that shouts in the wilderness “to sell” the plan of God to his people: “Prepare the way of the Lord make straight his path …” He is the Voice that speaks well of the name of His Son.

The names of the political leaders and religious personalities were named in Luke to describe that John was a historical person. Having known personalities as his contemporaries signifies that he was not a legend nor a myth but real person that existed in a certain point in time. Therefore being endorsed by a known historical person, Jesus finds his own place in the history as a real and historical Messiah.

Luke, being composed after Mk and Mt, manifests suspicion against an attempt in early Christianity to make the John de Baptist a rival or even an open opponent of Jesus. To avoid this scenario: (a) Luke omits John’s announcement of the Kingdom. (b) He suppressed the description of the Baptist in the role of Elijah and (c) delete the ministry of John’s baptism of Jesus. A little farther (v. 16) Luke removed the words, “after me” lest Jesus be considered a disciple of John. But nonetheless Luke considered John as the last and greatest prophet of Israel.

Towards the end of the Gospel, Luke used the quotation from Isaiah 40:3-5. When a king proposed to tour a part of his dominion in the east, he sent a courier before him to tell the people to prepare the roads. So John is regarded as the courier of the King to prepare the hearts of the people.

He speaks with great courage and honesty. If for Isaiah, the prophet of hope, his credential is his prophesies, because they all came true. For John it was quite different, much deeper than that. His credential is his Life. And when he talks, he talks directly from the heart with all honesty until his death (on the hands of Herod). He lived what he preached. Sometimes when you give good advices to your children, do you notice that they pause first for awhile and have a special look at you, before they truly listen? My dear parents, that looks means something. Perhaps they are trying to see first in your life what you are telling them. “Witnessing is the best expression of one’s credibility.”

He was the voice that is crying out in the desert. The desert is the place of nothingness. There is simply no water, no food - it is so quite and bare. For John nothing was there, except God. It is perfect place to have an encounter with God in the complete silence and prayer. That’s the reason why people believed in him. People believed that he was always in contact with God, thus, his words become the voice of God. It is good that you bring your children to the church and see you praying, when they noticed that you are always talking to God, you can easily convince them because your advices and decisions will be seen as coming not from you, but from God.

He prepared the way of the Lord by living simply.” If we will only try to reduce commercialism during Christmas and put more time in silence and prayer then we can see clearly the real essence of Christmas: “it is the season to share and to love.” It is a season not to get more, but an opportunity to give more.Only in the simplicity of heart that we can see the true meaning of the season: God was born into the world to forgive us and to embrace us with his love once again

God has chosen the best “agent” to sell the saving act of His Son – The “Voice” that sells not by word but by the very witnessing of his life. As Christians, we can also be God’s agents in the present time, by telling ourselves and other people to prepare our hearts well. If we can sell enough, this saving act being offered by Jesus, we deserve a great commission: the commission of happiness and love in eternal life.