The desert is a hot place. One would have to be pretty foolish to enter into one without an ample supply of water. As the heat of the day carries onward things only get hotter and if unprepared the chance for death rises. The body can only go so long without water and the conditions of the desert make this much worse.
Saint John the Baptist was a voice that called out from the desert. He was a voice which lead people towards conversion as he called them to make straight the path of their life for the one who would come. Ultimately he is leading individuals towards the body of water known as baptism.
The baptism that he gives is of repentance, but he promises that the one to come will be mightier then he and will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. It is baptism that serves as the fundamental sacrament of the church. It is an important sacrament to receive because it cleanses one of all sin including original sin, claims one for Christ Jesus, and incorporates them into the life of His Church.
Baptism is not just a dunking into water, but is a change of how one is to live their life. Unseen to the eye are the graces which are at work through the sacrament not only at the moment of baptism, but everyday thereafter. It is for this reason that baptism leaves an indelible mark which is a mark which never passes away even with death.
Therefore, we are constantly called towards this life giving water and renewing within ourself all that was begun within them. For this reason Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Messiah. We must heed the words of Saint John the Baptist who instructs, “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”
As Saint Augustine stated, “If you say, ‘That is enough,’ you are lost. Always aspire to more, never stop walking, keep making progress. Do not remain in the same place, do not move backward, do not go astray.”
With this in mind let us further reflect on how we are called upon to prepare the way for the Lord. Where have we gone astray and how can we reorient ourself towards the path that was begun for us at our baptism? May this Advent season be fruitful in preparing us for our encounter with the coming of the Lord.
This coming of the Lord will come in the blinking of an eye. Let us not be found weary in our preparation, but realize the necessity to be found active in it. We need to be be prepared for our encounter with the Lord. We need to renew day by day that which was begun in us at our baptism. Let us be found attentively waiting for the Lord’s coming.
