Matthew 3:1-12
John the
Baptist has always been the “Voice of Advent”. Because Advent is a time of waiting, the
Church once again calls our attention to listen to the words of John the
Baptist and embrace his message with expectant joy.
His message was “Repent, for the
kingdom of God is at hand.” The core of
John’s prophetic cry was metanoia or
conversion! The word metanoia comes from Greek words meta (beyond) and nous
(mind). Metanoia is not just the complete turnabout of one’s mind but going
beyond one’s self in its desire to meet God.
It is the breaking away from the imposed self-enclosure in order to
welcome new life. True conversion is
turning away from false existence to true way of living, from selfishness to
selflessness, from emptiness to fullness, from separateness to communion. It is the experience of total make-over of
oneself both in the preparation before
and after encountering Christ. We all
have the tendency to draw the world to ourselves and to make the world revolve
around our selfishness in celebration of egoism. Before, during and after the world has heard
the voice of John the Baptist, the messianic longing remains not just among the
Jews but in the heart of humanity. But
only those who are willing to break away from the slavery of selfishness are
able to encounter Christ in his many creative comings. If we really want this to happen, then the
words of St. John the Baptist pose a real challenge. That is why if we take to heart seriously his
message, it demands a dying to one’s self. It may mean breaking away from a
particular addiction that continuous to enslave us or getting away from a
sinful lifestyle that stifles us. When
we are able to do it, we clothe ourselves with purple during this time of
waiting. We don’t just see purple as a
liturgical colour in our churches, it is something we put on to symbolise a
deeper reality that is waiting to emerge.
Beneath the repentant purple of Advent is the
white Christmas awaiting to be born only if we endure the angst of separation
and the pain of birthing. What we are awaiting for is not just the celebration
of Christ’s birth but also our emergence into the children of God. The voice of John the Baptist shatters that false
identity towards our eternal generation together with the Son, making us adopted
children of the Father. Let his message shatter the chains of
our hearts so that we might breathe again with fresh hope and celebrate life always with joyful
expectancy.
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