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.
If someone were to come from the future to warn us about an impending catastrophe would anyone listen? If he said our policies and attitudes are leading to a terrible war, or unbearable climate change, or a world-wide economic collapse, would he find enough support to actually change policies and deflect the debacle?
The scriptures raise questions like that. When Jonah went to Nineveh he predicted a catastrophe and the entire city, from the king to the mute animals, dressed in sackcloth and ashes and repented of their sins. But the Book of Jonah is fiction; a wonderful parable about religious arrogance.
Saint John the Baptist comes from the Lord who leads us toward a future which is unlike the past. We have seen enough of sin and sadness, of despair and grief. We don't need to plan for another day of cheating, hypocrisy and outright lies -- much less another year or century.
John cries out to passersby in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord!" He calls for repentance. People can share and share alike as they did in the Sinai Wilderness. They should atone for their sins and open their hearts to the coming Son of Man.
Our Christian faith opens us to the future as it comes to us. We see more than the same old same old. Time for us is not an endless cycle of unhappy days and un-blessed years; it is not without meaning. Rather we know the Lord walks with us through time; we know the future is not only good. It is better than the present.
We have seen the future coming toward us in the person of Jesus. He and John the Baptist and Mary and all the saints are people who, in a sense, have come from the future to reassure us, "It is good." Even now they lead us through the narrow gate of Advent.
Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths. All flesh shall see the salvation of our God.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.