“John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance…”
Today’s Reading: Mk 1:1-8
“John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.”
Reflection: Repentance and forgiveness go hand-in-hand, don’t they? That’s one subtext of today’s Gospel. Of course, God is merciful, and doesn’t depend on anything we do to be merciful, to forgive. In a similar sense, God is love, and doesn’t depend on anything we do to be loving. In short, we don’t earn grace. But we have to cooperate, don’t we? How can we be aware of forgiveness if we haven’t acknowledged our sin? How can we know love if we don’t open our hearts? It’s there all the while, but we have to do our part.
Let us pray: Help us to repent, Lord, as we contemplate the bounty of your love. Move us beyond guilt-trips to a sober, humble sense that we are incomplete without you.