2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT A

PROPHET?... YOU ARE!!!

Something funny happened right after the tragic earthquake in Mindanao.

So many buildings destroyed. Some lives lost. Many lived in fear.

And here came a religious leader (many say cult leader) who said that people should thank him.

Why? It was he who stopped the earthquake!!!

When the earthquake struck, within hearing of others, he shouted “Stop!” and the tremors stopped.

What a party media and entertainment personalities had in ridiculing this claim!

Of course, an earthquake stops within minutes, even seconds, from its beginning!

What was in the mind of this religious figure? Undoubtedly he wanted to say that he was a prophet! (Although officially, he was already the “Son of God”).

Who is the prophet? What is his mission? Why is he important in this season that we prepare for the birth and the final coming of the Lord?

John the Baptist gives us the real picture of God’s prophet.

He preaches repentance, not out of anger, but out of love for the people he wishes to be saved.

He points not to himself, but to the Lord who sends him in his mission.

He is willing to humbly disappear once the Lord comes to personally encounter his people.

His power is not to say “Stop!” to natural calamities…

But to say “Stop!” to evil deeds, and “Go!” to the Lord who comes to meet his beloved.

John the Baptist is also called Friend of the Bridegroom because of this. He prepares the Bride (the Church) to meet the Groom (the Lord).

In Advent, as we prepare for the coming of the Lord in our lives, and at Christmas time,

The Lord invites “you” to become his prophet, to become his friend in front of another.

So many people need the presence of someone who will remind them of God’s love.

… a confused, problematic person

… a depressed youth

… a poor person on the street outside your home

… the security guard, janitor, driver you meet on the way to work

… or maybe a family member who needs your love and forgiveness

… a lonely, old lady living alone

and many others who feel down in the season of joy!

Will you be a prophet to any of these, saying

… “Stop!” your sadness, for I am here

… “Stop!” your loneliness, I will accompany you

…”Stop!” your tears, I will make you smile?

Jesus wants you to be his prophet today. Will you “Stop!” your selfishness and open your heart to his challenge?

(pls share to a friend... God bless!)

-->