DAILY MEDITATIONS # 8 Second Sunday of Advent

Daily Meditations  # 8   Second Sunday of Advent  4.12.11

Mark 1:1-8

" For John came and began to baptize men in the desert, proclaiming baptism as the mark of a complete change of heart and of the forgiveness of sins. " Mk.4:4 

God will forgive our sins only when there is a complete change of heart. A complete change of heart or turning towards God otherwise known as 'metanoia ' in Greek involves the following steps ....

1) Repentance : The act of repenting, or the state of being penitent; sorrow for what one has done or omitted to do; especially, contrition for sin. Sincere sorrow for offending God or others.

2) Reparation : The act of making amends or giving satisfaction or compensation for a wrong, injury, etc.; also, the thing done or given;  something done or paid in expiation of a wrong; making good the loss caused by us.

3) Forgiveness : compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive others; the act of excusing a mistake or offense ; granting pardon.

Advent is a great time for all of the above.

John the Baptist wanted the Jews to prepare their lives for the messiah by filling in the valleys of prejudice, leveling the mountains of pride and straightening out their crooked paths of injustice. John recommended a baptism of repentance in the river Jordan to the Jews who were familiar with ritual and symbolic washings.The Jews thought that being ritually circumcised and making  prescribed offerings in the Temple was sufficient to be reconciled to God.  The most   amazing thing about John's baptism was that, as a Jew, he was asking fellow-Jews to submit to the baptism of repentance which only a Gentile was obliged to undergo. 

Mere church attendance and other pious practices are not enough. Preparing a way for God in our hearts is a time-consuming and costly business. It demands our listening to what God is saying to us and then making appropriate changes in our behavior. Welcoming God also involves removing all blockages and obstacles which keep Him from coming close to us. This spiritual exercise should receive top most priority in all of our ongoing Christmas preparations.

A small anecdote will serve as an useful illustration ...

 Coming home for Christmas: In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their "flying machine" off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas." Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, "How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas." He totally missed the big news – man had flown! Many of us are thrilled at the gifts, food and festivities of the holiday season, ignoring the fact that Christ’s birth is the true reason for this “holiday season,” and that these are HOLY DAYS intended to give Jesus a homecoming by bringing him into our hearts and daily lives.

It is in the  ' desert ' of our brokenness and sorrow that our hearts turns towards God.Let this Christmas season be an altogether different experience for each one of us.

 God Bless.