Faithful are the wounds of the one who loves; But the kisses of the one who hates are unimportant.
Proverbs 27: 6
Dear community, dear friends!
A friend of mine had felt bad for a while. He was always tired, exhausted, dragged into work and endured until nine o'clock at night. Finally he went to the doctor with these symptoms. He discovered that he had diabetes. He spoke about this conversation, especially about the statement: "You have to change your life!". He felt that he had been beaten well, the request set in motion.
John the Baptist was not a doctor, but an uncomfortable contemporary in Israel at the time of Jesus. He lived like a hermit in the desert and fed himself strangely. Although the disciples moved with him, he was not a sociable type. He found hard words for his neighbor, but the words of the doctor to my acquaintance were frankly charming. Juan el Bautista pointed his finger at the wounds and pierced them until it really hurt.
The people who knew him realized what he was thinking about them, however, John had an enormous affection. The moment was propitious for change. As things were, he could not continue, many were trapped in dead ends.
In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke, when he said: The voice of him that cries out in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. And John was dressed in camel's hair, and had a leather belt around his loins; and their food was locusts and wild honey. And Jerusalem went out to him, and all Judea, and all the province round about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
Matthew 3: 1-6
At that time, the Baptist John appeared in the Judean desert and proclaimed: "Change your life! God will now establish his reign and complete his work!" God had already announced this John through the prophet Isaiah, who said: " In the desert one cries out: 'Power the way in which the Lord comes, clean the streets for him!
"Juan wore a camel hair robe and a leather belt around his hips, his food consisted of wild grasshoppers and honey, and the people of Jerusalem, of all Judea and the whole area of the Jordan approached him, confessed publicly. his sins and were baptized by him in the Jordan.
John also said, "I baptize you with water to change your life, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I. I am not even good enough to take off my shoes, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He has the shovel worf in his hand He will divorce the wheat from the straw and bring his wheat to the barn He will burn the straw in a fire that will never go out. "
Change your life!
My friend changed his life because his health was at stake. When am I ready for the change?
There are internal signs: boredom, lack of perspective, over-training, feeling stressed, driven. These states reveal that we have lost our balance.
If we continue like this, eventually we will give up, collapse or deviate from the route. Continue is not an option. There are also external signs: signs of stopping like an illness, a separation, the loss of a loved one. But also the positive signals from abroad can point to necessary changes: a new professional task, a new challenge that will arise for me, a commission that goes beyond my previous experience. These external signals give us to understand that the road takes a turn, something new is absolutely necessary.
Those who are open to this encounter the signs of God at decisive moments in life. This can be restlessness, thoughts that go out to walk and dream, that there is more to life than what we experience in the present. God puts us in the path of the people who attract and long for us to conquer new lands.
The baptism of John was a visible sign of change.
With the submarine diving in the Jordan, the previous life was cleansed and dragged in a tangible way. The mistakes of the past, the wounds buried in the soul, the guilt lying on the shoulders have been removed. Those who emerged from the waters of the Jordan River were free, could make good intentions and had a new opportunity to obey the will of God.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John to the Jordan, to be baptized by him. But John opposed him, saying: I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me? But Jesus replied: Leave now, because it is fitting that we fulfill all righteousness. Then he left. And Jesus, after he was baptized, went up after the water; and behold, heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and coming upon him. And there was a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3: 13-17
At this time, Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John tried to dissuade him and said: "Should I be baptized for you, and come to me?" But Jesus replied: "Do not hesitate to baptize me, that's what we have to do now, then we open the way, in which the will of God is fulfilled without compromise." Juan surrendered. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came out of the water. Then heaven opened and saw that the Spirit of God descended like a dove. And a voice from heaven said: "This is my son, my love is for him, I have chosen him".
God will elevate his reign
"Change your life!" It was the first part of Juan's sermon. In the second part, he talks about the goodness of God because he sent his son Jesus to the people. Jesus is baptized by John. The strongest, which comes from God, is placed on the side of those who can not pay the bills for themselves, but who allow God to pay their debts. He sits with us at the doctor and takes recipes and medicines for us. He takes us by the hand when we begin to change.
Jesus is close to the decisive moments of our lives. When a wall in front of us forces us to retreat, it directs our gaze towards itself and, therefore, towards the open sky. We realize that you can free us from the complicated situation. We gain confidence that the Spirit of God helps us and that we do not have to fulfill good intentions on our own.