Matthew 3:1-12: Hope in the Desert
Friday, August 23, 2024
A Favorite from September 5, 2007.
We hear more today about winnowing time and the importance of repentance.
It is interesting to look at this citation beside today’s Gospel of Luke 4:38-44. There is a similar theme – Jesus tells us that he comes to proclaim to as many as possible the Good News that redemption is now available to anyone who has faith and is willing to feel sorrow.
Jesus retires to “a deserted place.” John the Baptist “appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea.”
We tend to shy away from the many desert places in our lives, but it is in these deserts that we encounter God most intensely. We ought not fear the emptiness or dryness because the nurturing goodness of God never leaves us alone or without hope. We are never fully in the darkness for there is always a the light of Christ that cannot be held back. From this morning’s prayer in MAGNIFICAT: The bright light of the risen, Jesus Christ, shines to all parts of the earth. Let us walk in his light and follow in his way, that, reflecting his brightness, we may enlighten the eyes of the blind with faith and hope.
As People of Hope, let us intone this prayer together today.
Amen.
Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Morning.” MAGNIFICAT. 5,9 (2007). Print.
Image from: https://pixabay.com/en/landscape-desert-clear-viewsand-692395/
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