The first sentence of Mark’s gospel is a title for the gospel, and Chapter1,1-13, serves as an introduction to the whole gospel. Mark invents a new genre of literature called “gospel,” which basically means good news. The Gospel for Mark is the good news that in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the kingdom of God has come into the world, and through his life death and resurrection the salvation of all people has been achieved.
It is John the Baptist’s special role to prepare a way for Jesus and introduce him onto the stage of history at the beginning of his public ministry. He proclaims Jesus as the fulfilment of ancient Old Testament prophecies, (here Malachi and Isaiah), which foretold the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. John baptises people as a sign of their repentance and the forgiveness of their sins.
His baptism is a prophetic act indicating that God is about to establish His kingdom, and that to be part of it, people need to be baptised as an admission of their sinfulness and as a sign of their desire to come back to God. Baptism is a sign of repentance, forgiveness of sins, and a new beginning in their relationship with God.
Word of John’s desert ministry reaches Jerusalem and Judea and they all flock to hear him preach, and as they are baptised, they confess their sins.
The word of the Lord came to John in the wilderness of Judea. It can come again to us in our own self-made wildernesses if we but listen to it today. If the Word of the Lord changes us, it also changes our world. If we become better people, the world will become a better place as a result.
For John the Baptist, the wilderness seems an apt place in which to begin his ministry. He personified in his person, his preaching, his attire and diet, the austerity of the place. His message is clear and urgent: “Repent for the kingdom of God is close at hand.” To repent is to think again about the things that really matter in life, to look at one’s values and priorities in life. It means re-thinking everything. It implies an honest acknowledgement of our sins and a turning away from them and a return to God and his ways. The reason for repentance is the nearness of the kingdom of heaven in Jesus and his ministry.
This gospel reading for the second week of Advent points to the importance of repentance and conversion in our own lives as we prepare for Christmas.
John is baptising them with water for repentance, but when Jesus appears, he will baptise them with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit stands for the new life and light which Jesus will bring.
As we prepare to celebrate the feast of the birth of Christ, who came to give us new life, we too are invited to repent, confess our sins, and receive the new life and light which he came to bring.
Advent is time to re-claim and re-affirm our dignity and worth in God’s eyes and thank Jesus for coming to achieve this for us.
Let us recall our own baptism when each of us became a child of God, an adopted brother or sister of Jesus – the highest honour anyone can confer on us. It was the beginning of a new and special relationship with Jesus. Do you know the date of your Baptism, your spiritual birthday? Try and find it and celebrate it each year just like you celebrate your birthday.
Fr Geoff O’Grady