make his paths straight."
Mark 1:3
Advent is a time of repentance, that is, a time of spiritual renewal. Many of us do not see repentance in a positive light, yet it is the key to welcoming more of God’s Kingdom into our lives. The deeper our repentance, the deeper will be our knowledge of God’s love and mercy. Let us open our hearts to the light of Christ so that we can see the truth of ourselves clearly. Only this truth will set us free. -- Kerygma
The Gospel of Mark remind us of a “voice crying out in the desert,” calling us to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. Why in the desert? John the Baptist lived in the desert but he did not remain there. It would be foolish of him to preach in the desert where no one will hear him. So why in the desert? I believe this is Isaiah’s metaphor for a sermon that no one hears, for a preacher without a congregation.
If we can speak of a crisis in preaching, can we also speak of a crisis in listening? I do not speak here of a collective hearing disability. I’m not talking about an aural listening, i.e, listening with one’s ears. I’m speaking of a cardiac listening, i.e., listening with one’s heart (from the Greek kardia, meaning heart).
What do you hear right now as December 25 approaches? The sound of carols, new gadgets, get-togethers, eating binges, cash registers? What excites your heart?
Christmas beckons. As that day approaches, I think of that familiar carol, Do You Hear What I Hear? What is the song reminding us to hear?
It beckons us to listen with our heart to “the child, the child, sleeping in the night, He will bring us goodness and light. He will bring us goodness and light!”
This Christmas, let us not forget to leave space in our heart for the Child who will bring us goodness and light. -- Fr. Joel O. Jason
Amidst the many attractions of the Christmas season, attract my heart, O God. Amen.
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