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Friends,
today’s Gospel passage identifies the appearance of John the Baptist
with the expected return of the prophet Elijah. John, the herald of
Christ, appears in the desert. Here he stands for all of us in the
desert of sin, the lifeless place. It is as though John purposely went
there to remind us of our need for grace.
What
is he proclaiming? A baptism of repentance. This is the great message.
Turn your life over to a higher power. People are coming to him from all
sides, because, in our heart of hearts we all resonate with this
message.
So
often in the Old Testament, the prophets are asked to act out some
quality of the people, perhaps something they were unable or unwilling
to see. Well, this tradition continues here: John acts out for the
people their helplessness and neediness before the Lord. But then like
Isaiah, he refuses to leave it at that. He announces that one is coming,
one who will baptize in the Holy Spirit.
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