Beginning This New Year Together

A central, albeit mysterious, figure who appears especially during Advent is St. John the Baptist. He is the one who prepares the way for the Messiah. If John’s message were to be distilled into a single word, it would likely be, “Repent!” There is something in us that recoils from this call to “repent.” Perhaps our reluctance to respond positively to this term arises from the experience of seeing some angry person on a street corner shouting, “Repent!” Often enough, people who call us to repentance seem less interested in our well-being than they do in promoting their own sense of self-righteousness. While telling us to repent, they seem to separate themselves from the rest of us. It can feel as though they are suggesting that they themselves have no need of repentance. They convey a sense that they are fully prepared already and they are warning the rest of us. (But, even though they are warning us, you get the sense that they would much rather leave us in our unprepared state. They like giving warnings more than they actually want to help us.) John the Baptist appears as a sign. I think it is interesting that he appears in the desert. He is not on a street corner or in the main square. He is in the desert. He is where there is emptiness, dryness, and silence. He practices an ascetic life, wearing camel hair clothing and eating locusts. Unusual? Yes, but his witness attracts people. They come to see him. The people go out to the desert to see John and to hear him. Seeing his witness and hearing his message, what do they do? They acknowledge their sins and are baptized. They repent. John’s figure is so interesting to me. Clearly, his appearance must have been somewhat startling. Startling too was his message. Yet, people were drawn to him. They came to him and were moved to do something that is so difficult for us human beings. They admitted their faults. They admitted that they needed to change. They admitted they were wrong. They acknowledged their sins. This humble acknowledgement of sins and the desire to turn away from them is what prepares us to welcome the Lord. One of the greatest privileges of being a priest is to witness people repent of their sins. It is such an extraordinary thing to hear someone acknowledge that they, in fact, have sinned. I cannot tell you how moving it is to sit on the other side of the screen and listen to a person say things like, “I have been so arrogant. I have been so selfish. I have had such a hardened heart. I have been filled with hatred. I have committed lustful acts, been deceptive, or spiritually lazy.” When I hear those (and many other things), all I can think is, “Blessed Be God!” What an amazing work of grace must be happening in this person’s heart to make them able to do this courageous thing! Similarly, it is absolutely extraordinary to hear someone come to confess something that they have been carrying around for years, maybe even decades. As time goes on, they feel paralyzed from ever bringing this matter to confession. They think too much time has passed. Somehow, however, by God’s grace, they bring this matter to the confessional, and what happens? Does the roof of the church collapse? Does the priest die of shock? No, the Church rejoices and provides this brave and repentant soul with the medicine of mercy. John the Baptist is indeed a central figure of Advent. His appearance and his message are a bit startling. His appearance and his message are different. They do not seek center stage. He is not a social media influencer, a wielder of political power, or a TV personality. He appears outside the limelight, in the quiet of the desert. Somehow, people recognized that there was something true about his message. He was saying something that–even though difficult to hear–was necessary for their life. His call to repentance was authentic. The people went to him and acknowledged their sins. They prepared the way of the Lord. Dear Friends, this Advent, John the Baptist is once again appearing and calling to us from the solitude of the desert. His message is as true today as it was two thousand years ago. He does not only call us to repent, but he wants us to know that repentance is indeed possible. He is calling us to risk leaving the busy cities of our lives; the places that seem to offer us flashy solutions to our weary hearts. He is calling us to the place of repentance, to the quiet of the confessional where we can humbly acknowledge our sins, receive mercy, and to prepare a place for the Lord. In the next few weeks, there are innumerable opportunities to go to confession–here and elsewhere–and to experience that incredible joy that comes from repentance. Be courageous! And remember what the Gospel says today. All the people were going out to John and acknowledging their sins. You might think you’re the biggest and worst sinner in the whole world. If you do think that, “Blessed Be God!” That’s a sign of true sorrow and repentance. The rest of us who are standing in line with you, we are thinking the same thing about ourselves. And when we leave the confessional, we are no longer thinking of ourselves. We are thinking about the Lord and how kind and merciful He is. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes