Lectio Divina
READ: The prophet Isaiah proclaims the end of bondage and prepares the way of the Lord. St. Paul shows how Jesus has come to redeem us from the bondage of death, sin, and every evil. John the Baptist, who embodies Isaiah’s role of messenger, identifies Jesus as the one whose way he has prepared.
REFLECT: The role of the messenger is not to proclaim himself; he is not his own message. Instead, his mission is to proclaim Another. The church, like Isaiah and John the Baptist, is called to be a messenger: making straight the way of the Lord and announcing his arrival. The church is not itself the Good News. When the church becomes confused about its role and preaches itself, rather than Christ, it falls into what Pope Francis calls “spiritual narcissism.”
PRAY: Today, Lord, may I have the courage and faith to prepare a way for you in my life.
ACT: Consider my actions and encounters this day: In what ways did I prepare a way for Christ? In what ways did I set up obstacles?
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