DAILY HOMILIES #repentance

God is inviting us today to rise from where we have fallen, to pick up our Cross again, to say with the Prodigal Son, “I will arise and go to my Father.”

In our Gospel passage today, Mark tells us that Jesus began his public ministry by preaching saying: “This is the time of fulfilment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” In other words, “today is all we have, this is the time, repent now and believe the Gospel.” In our first reading, we see a very similar message being preached by Jonah to the people of Nineveh: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” In other words, there is no time, we cannot postpone repentance otherwise, we shall be destroyed. Even our Second reading today contains the same message: “The appointed time has grown very short…”

It is bad enough that despite our efforts, we still fall but nothing can be more terrible than our refusal to get back on our feet when we fall.

Rather than arguing about re-incarnation, we should consider the fact that our readings today have presented us with two role models, John the Baptist and Elijah. By emulating their virtues and living by the principles they represent, we become John the Baptists and Elijahs of our time. By directing people to repent from their sins and turn away from false gods, we literally prepare the way for the celebration of Christmas

The prophet Isaiah says: “Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill shall be made low, the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places shall be made plain.” The valleys to be lifted up represent the good things we ought to do that we have failed to do. The mountains and hills to be made low are those bad habits of ours, our sinful inclinations and evil deeds that must be removed to allow the baby Jesus to enter our lives.