From The Bishop

Of all the characters we find in the Old Testament, John the Baptist has to be one of the most interesting. His choice of clothes (camel skin) and food choices (locust and honey) seem very strange to modern tastes; however, he is a saint and a model for all those who wish to serve the Lord. It was John who said of Jesus, “He must increase and I must decrease.” We must focus our lives on Christ and strive to remove all distractions. In the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist states, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth.” As we begin our preparations for Christmas, we should spend some time reflecting upon the words of John. What are some of the obstacles that may be preventing the Lord from coming to us? One of the greatest could simply be all of our activity “preparing”. When John tells us to prepare the way, he wants us to remove obstacles not to create more. Sometimes our seemingly practical and necessary preparations for Christmas can take so much of our time and energy that we forget about what we are celebrating. Are all of our activities leading us to Christ? St. John the Baptist is the voice that calls us to focus on the Word. In Jesus, the word has become flesh and dwelt among us. This is the mystery we contemplate at Christmas. During the remaining weeks of Advent, let us listen to the Voice that calls us to remove all obstacles to receiving the Word.