As a kid, I always loved reading fantasy books and science fiction novels. Many of these stories began with lines such as “Once upon a time…” or “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away…”. The setting was always deliberately vague, because the author wanted to make it clear that the events of the story were not real, and didn’t have any connection to a real time and place.
Today’s Gospel, on the other hand, is completely different. As St. Luke recounts the story of the preaching of John the Baptist in the desert, he goes to great lengths to describe the time and the place in which these events occurred. He lists verifiable historical facts, such as who the Roman emperor was, who the Roman governors and tetrarchs were, and who the Jewish High Priests were. He does this to indicate to the reader that he is describing real events, that took place at a specific moment in human history.
The truth of the events of the Gospels changes how we relate to the events that they portray. We are meant to connect more intimately with the Gospel narratives, since they describe real events that have sent ripples throughout all of human history and still impact us today.The message of repentance that John the Baptist proclaimed 2,000 years ago is still valid for us today. We are called to repent and to give the Lord a clear path into our hearts and into our lives. What mountains of pride and selfishness do we need to make low? What valleys of sinfulness need to be filled in so that the path of the Lord is made straight? How is God calling us to live so that we can see his salvation in the world? As we continue through this season of Advent, I invite you to journey with these questions.
I would like to offer my Congratulations and prayers to our young people in our Family of Parishes who will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this week. May the Spirit of the Lord continue to guide and sustain them in their life of faith, and help them to grow in knowledge and love of God.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Steven Huber, CSB