In the Gospel today, various people respond to John the Baptist's message of repentance asking what they need to do to repent. Do we hear the voice of God calling us to repent? Are we aware of God, or are we wandering in the dark?
Our first reading recalls the mighty deeds of the Prophet Elijah. But the most difficult deed is to move the human heart, which was Elijah's real job. But God can move hearts. May your heart be moved this Advent so that you can in turn, move others' hearts.
In today's Gospel, Jesus admonished his disciples against leading others astray. Let us ask God to remove the obstacles in our own lives that cause us to harm others, and to help us to share whatever blessings come our way.
When someone praised his mother, Jesus said "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it," welcoming all believers to be equal members of his family, united in faith. United in faith, we can be better witnesses and stronger against the evil one.
Paul the Apostle assures us that faith can justify anyone, even Gentiles, as it justified Abraham, reminding us to to keep up whatever religious practices support our own faith, because our own faith supports the faith of others as well.
