Second Sunday of Advent

This is the weekend where we meet John the Baptist- the herald, the forerunner of the Messiah. In fact the first reading, Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11 and the gospel, Mark 1:1-8 go hand in hand. Mark even writes the passage from Isaiah to reinforce the role of John the Baptist. The prophet Isaiah writes, "A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" Here is Mark's version, "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." There is a little more added on to Mark's version but it says the same thing. John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. His message was also one of repentance and being forgiven of our sins. That is a wonderful call for us during this Advent Time. We need to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord, at the end of time, and receive the forgiveness of our sins that comes from God. John the Baptist is a tremendous example of the new evangelization. He came to prepare the highway for the Messiah, the first coming, and it is our task to help our brothers and sisters prepare for the second coming. As we heard our Lord say, "Only the Father knows the day and the hour." As we gather around the table of God's Word and Eucharist this weekend, let us heed the call to prepare and evangelize because in our present day we are still making straight a highway for the Lord. Have a blessed weekend!!!