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I have a friend of mine, who
I’ve known for many years now from seminary, who loves
nature. He’s always watching those nature shows on TV. He
knows all about a duck-billed platypus, and the
yellow-breasted hummingbird, and the Egyptian crocodile. I
think he’s read every book written on wildlife, and nature,
and natural science. He knows so much, that I always
expected him to show up one day on Animal Planet or the
Discovery Channel. And yet, my friend also has a problem.
He doesn’t like the outdoors. He likes to know all about
what’s outside. But he doesn’t want to be outside. He’s
kinda, an indoors naturalist, if there is such a thing.
When we were in seminary, we’d invite him to go camping, or
hiking, or for a walk in the woods, and he’d never go. It
was always too hot, or too cold, or too rainy, or too
windy. And after awhile, all of his talk and knowledge of
nature, really didn’t impress anybody, because he never left
the comforts of home to go out into nature. Wouldn’t you
think that if you really liked something, or were really
interested in it, than wouldn’t you want to be out in it,
all the time? Who ever heard of an indoor naturalist? We
used to tell him, you need to get out there. He needed to
live it. He needed to live life. The knowledge and
information are great. But sometimes it just takes
experience to really complete the picture. And that’s what
my friend couldn’t do. Think of all the things he misses
out on. Doesn’t make him very credible as a naturalist,
does it?
John the Baptist, who
we get introduced to today in our Gospel, is a real
naturalist. John is outside, braving the elements, living
off the land, with the sun and wind in his face. John has
credibility. By this time, John has left his home and his
family and a comfortable life to go out and live in the
desert. John, Jesus’ cousin, fulfills the promise of the
Prophet Isaiah and becomes the “voice crying out in the
desert”. Many, many people heard John’s cry. It started
slowly at first. Just a few came out to the desert to find
out what John was making all of this commotion about. But
as word got out, people came out in droves to listen to
John, to accept his challenge, and to be baptized. Many
did. But not all did. Certainly, two thousand years ago,
there were many who didn’t go out into the desert. Oh, they
may have heard about this new, young prophet and his
messages in the desert. They may have desired to know more
about what John was saying and they may have had the desire
to get closer to God. They may have been really good
people. But there were many who couldn’t bring themselves
to leave the comforts of their own homes, their own
villages, and what they were used to. Maybe, like my
friend, they thought it was too hot, or too cold, or too
stormy, or that it was too long of a journey. Maybe they
didn’t like bugs. The desert is full of bugs. John the
Baptist was eating them. Maybe they wanted something better
for lunch. But lots of people didn’t listen. They didn’t
respond to John’s call. They didn’t join the revival in the
desert. And they didn’t get baptized. We need to know
this. People had to make a choice: the comfort of what
they were used to or the challenge, and the excitement,
and the danger, and the possibilities of what was OUT
there. You couldn’t just hear about it. You couldn’t just
read about it. You couldn’t just have the intention of
going. You had to go. You had to leave. You had to make a
change. You had to do it.
And that, my brothers
and sisters, is the point that we come to as we begin our
second week of our Advent season: it’s time to make a
decision! Are We, two-thousand years later, going to follow
John the Baptist out into the deserts of our lives? Or are
we going to stay home, safe and comfortable, and pretend
that we know all about it? God is calling us to come out!
We need to get out of ourselves. We need to get out of our
little comfortable pretend lives. We need to go out into
the desert and get our hands dirty. Advent is not a quiet,
comfortable, predictable time. And if it is, you’re doing
something wrong, because it is not supposed to be that way.
Advent is a challenge to each and every one of us to come
back to God. No matter where we’ve been. No matter what
we’ve done. No matter how long it has taken us. Today God
calls us to come out into the desert with Him and to hear
His Voice! You can’t do that at home. You can’t do that
with the TV on, or while you’re on-line. You can’t do that
when you’re NOT willing to make a change.
What’s John the
Baptist saying to you? What do you need to change in your
life? We can sit back and watch this Advent go by, or we can
get involved and find out where God is leading us. The
choice is ours.
Maybe if we are going to
call ourselves “Catholic Christians”, then this week we
ought to ask ourselves how credible are we as followers of
Jesus? Is it a name or a way of life?
May God bless us
today, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit… AMEN !!!
St. Maria Goretti … Pray for us !!!
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