Scripture
“John the Baptist appeared. It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert.”
Reflection
“A voice crying out in the desert” John the Baptist with his call for repentance became a beacon of hope in his time.
Do you ever feel like you are alone crying out in the desert? The beautiful images of the wolf welcomed by the lamb seem like a mirage in the desert of our complex lives. That is what Advent is all about sometimes crying out in the desert, but also having hope and trusting in the God of endurance and encouragement to bring us out of the desert and into harmony with one another.
As we continue our Advent journey, let us pray to have hope grounded in faith. Hope is not simple optimism; it is a virtue which can be grown and cultivated. We have hope because the Promised One is faithful. We can rely on that.
In our everyday lives, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord, to BE the way of the Lord, to be a beacon of hope for others.
Practice
Take some time this week to reflect on your own experiences of hope and how you can be hope for others.