My Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We are listening to hard words from St. John the Baptist today: “Reform your lives! The reign of God is at hand” (Mt. 3:2). “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight His paths” (Mt. 3:3). “Give some evidence that you mean to reform” (Mt. 3:8). How can we put them into practice?
As the journey of Advent continues, as we prepare to celebrate the nativity of Christ, John the Baptist’s call to conversion sounds out in our community. It is an extremely pressing invitation to open our hearts and to welcome the Son of God who comes among us, like us in everything but sin.
As it is today, we know we are deciding our future destiny. It is our concrete, everyday behavior in this life that might determine our eternal fate later. At the end of our day on earth, at the moment of death, we will be evaluated on the basis of our likeness or otherwise to the Baby Jesus who is about to be born in the poor grotto of Bethlehem, because He is the measure God has given to humanity.
As today’s society, we should heed more closely the hard, clear words of St. John the Baptist. John asked us all about preparing the way for the coming of the Lord in the deserts – internal and external deserts – thirsting for the water of life which is Christ.
My brothers and sisters, we should ask ourselves these following questions during this Advent: “Do I really conform my life to the Reign of God? Do I seriously prepare myself physically and spiritually for the coming of the Lord? Do I try to make straight everything in my life accordingly toward the demand of God? Do I definitely make some concrete effort to reform my life, the way I live, the way I talk, the way I love and the way I associate with God and my neighbors? And do I put Christ at the center of my daily life?”
Advent season is the time for us to do these things because we never know how much time we have left. Years, months, weeks or only a day? The prudent steward knows how to prepare, how to be alert and how to be faithful to the end when our Lord, Master and Judge will come! Blessed are those who are awake when the Master comes and knocks at the door. Open it for Him, and He will take you to the eternal banquet, eternal life.
With love,
Fr. Thuong Nguyen, Pastor