Now we have celebrated the Christmas season, we, as a Church, begin the new year by walking once more through the life of Jesus.

This year we use the Gospel of Mark as our main guide through the life of Christ.  To begin our journey Mark brings us back to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.  We go back to John the Baptist.  For the people of the time, the Baptist’s great attraction was that with him God was acting again.  No prophet had appeared for many years among the Jews.

The Baptist offered those who came a “Baptism of repentance” – an opportunity to acknowledge their sins.  He also called them to stay tuned for further developments.   John preached in the desert.

The desert was a fitting site for repentance.  Acknowledging our sins is often unpleasant.  It may not make us feel very close to God.  However, it helps us to prepare the way of the Lord.  In the midst of the crowd of people who are acknowledging their sins, Jesus makes His appearance.

John baptizes his followers in water as a sign of repentance, but also to prepare them for the coming of “one more powerful than I, who will baptize not in the water but in the Holy Spirit”.  As Jesus appears to receive John’s baptism, we are told only where he is from.

In a remarkably few lines, Mark has set the stage for his Gospel.   Clearly this is no ordinary story.  But it is truly good news, news that God has entered our world.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell