The Prophet Who Minced No Words

John the Baptist Preaching by Mattia Preti c. 1665

John the Baptist Preaching by Mattia Preti c. 1665

Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

John the Baptist preached "Turn away from your sins ... " which is the Old Testament root meaning of 'repent'. John the Prophet minced no words and, clearly caring nothing for political correctness when he got in the faces of some Pharisees and Sadducees, used very strong words to call them to turn back to God: "You brood of vipers!" he addressed them. 

A man of prayer, living a Spartan life with only the bare necessities in desert regions, John's vocation, his driving longing given him by God, was to prepare others for the arrival of Jesus. Therefore his mission was so urgent that there was no time for dancing around the issues, namely, the sinfulness in people's hearts that would hinder them from recognizing Jesus. John spoke the truth with fiery abandon so that others would be moved to repentance. Later, Jesus would call Himself ''The Way, the Truth, and the Life." Like St. John the Baptist, can we live and speak truth, the Truth, in denouncing sin? Truth is the most eloquent of languages that God gave us to speak.

Let us speak the Truth in Advent!

-fr. Chris, O.P