| In the readings today we
encounter the two people who point most clearly
to the coming of Christ, the prophet Isaiah and
St John the Baptist.
In the gospel today St Mark
sums up in one sentence who it is he is writing
about and what is his message: it is THE Good
News, about Jesus who is the Messiah, fulfilling
the promises of the Old Testament, and who furthermore
is Son of God. The next person in Mark’s gospel
to refer to Jesus as Son of God will be the centurion
at the cross [Mark 15:19]. It is as if Mark is
saying: “This is what I believe. Now, where do
you stand?” There is a small religious group in
Iraq still who venerate John the Baptist as the
messiah.
It is written reminds us that
Mark is writing for a literate audience, since
Jewish Law commanded that children be taught to
read. What he quotes comes partly from the prophet
Malachi and partly from Isaiah. The wilderness
of Sinai was where the Israelites got to know
God after leaving captivity in Egypt. John lives
in the steep, dry wilderness of stone and rock,
with little vegetation, between Jerusalem and
the Jordan near Jericho. He invites people into
the wilderness to meet God again, as their ancestors
did. Interestingly, the presence of God in the
Temple in Jerusalem does not seem to come into
John’s preaching. The people go away from the
holy place to find God in the desert. The messenger
is sent to proclaim like a herald, to summon people
and to demand an immediate response. The response
is to be conversion, the confessing of sin with
washing by baptism as a sign of cleansing, a symbol
of hoped-for forgiveness. Confession of sin in
public and in private was strong in Judaism, often
in terms of the sacrifice offered in the Temple.
Among the few insects that Jewish Law permitted
as food were locusts, crickets and grasshoppers
[Leviticus 11:22]. Camel skin clothing would have
reminded Mark’s readers of the prophet Elijah.
In the other gospels John preaches about judgment
and punishment; in St Mark he simply points towards
Jesus, to whom he is merely a servant. He says
of Jesus that he will baptise with the Holy Spirit.
St Matthew adds ‘with the Holy Spirit and fire’.
In both cases the idea is of purification, almost
like a chemical process, like producing iron or
gold. As we turn from sin, what is dross and unworthy,
what turns us away from God, is burnt off. The
Holy Spirit is God at work in us bringing about
renewal and holiness of life.
• In the passage quoted from
the Old Testament, the words of action: am going;
will prepare; a voice cries; describe something
happening at present, followed by words calling
for action: prepare a way; make straight his
paths. Should I see this as a call to action
for me here and now?
• Our Lord used to go aside
into quiet places to be alone and pray. The
Baptist calls people out of their normal way
of living to go off into the desert to find
God. Should I think of a real space for God
in my day? Could I bring my family in?
• The people went out into
the desert in crowds and were set free of sin
through water. Does this suggestion of a need
to be relieved of a load appeal to me? Where
do I go regularly to seek relief from the wear
and tear of life? Do I seek escape from reality
in ways that have not worked for me in the past?
• There are no locusts in this
country to dine on. In Ireland long ago Advent
was seen as similar to Lent. Could I try out
some discipline in my eating habits?
• We see purity as a state
of innocence that we have lost and would like
to return to, whereas today’s gospel sees purity
as a state towards which we mature as the power
of the Holy Spirit gradually gets to work on
our good intentions. Should I take time to think
about the Spirit at work in me since my Baptism?
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