Dec. 12, 2018 By Father William Muench Advent is our times to be alone with St. John the Baptist. I like Advent, and I consider St. John the Baptist to be a friend. So, Advent is a very special time for me – a time to meditate on John’s life and his message. I assume that John the Baptist was close in age to Jesus – they were both very probably in their early thirties – at the time of the Gospel events. So, thinking of John the Baptist, it makes me remember the events of my own life when I was that age, those early days in my life. For me, John the Baptist was, first of all, a powerful preacher. He drew crowds to listen to his message. His message was of the coming of the long-awaited message for Israel – the Messiah was coming, and it was Jesus. This was John’s vocation; God had chosen him to bring the world to Jesus by being a bold and challenging preacher. Early on, I recognized my vocation as a priest meant I was called to be a preacher. So, John the Baptist became an important patron saint for me. One of the gifts I received as a seminarian at Wadhams Hall was a terrific public speaking course; I took it each of my four years in college. Our professor for that course each year was Father Joseph Bailey. I want you to know that he was a very good speech teacher. Now that doesn’t mean that he was easy on us. I remember being so nervous each time it was my turn to speak in class. It was a real challenge for me. And there was Father Bailey sitting in the back row ready to point out our failings, leading us to improve. Now I know that his efforts were such a great part in my becoming a preacher. Now you may find this a bit humorous: my first pastor as a newly ordained priests was Father Joseph Bailey. He had stepped out of seminary work to be a pastor. I am certain you can imagine how I felt each time it was my turn to preach. I was certain that Father Bailey was sitting in the back of the church as I began to speak. He continued to be an effective guide for me during those days. In addition, I want to add I learned a great deal by often experiencing Father Bailey’s preaching. He was a very good preacher. One more thing: I still have a note that Father Bailey wrote to me complimenting me on a column I had written. I was pleased. Back to St. John the Baptist. Just as John was a powerful preacher, he was a genius in reaching people spiritually. John used a Baptism of Repentance, very different from the sacramental Baptism of Jesus. John spoke often of repentance; he challenged the people to make the decision to find a new and better and life. They must change what keeps them from God – a change to be a better person. To make that moment of decision memorable, John would invite each person into the River Jordan and baptize them, literally pushing them under the water – something for them to remember at this important moment in their lives. I had the privilege of visiting the spot along the River Jordan where tradition says John the Baptist spoke and baptized. Our group even had a sort of baptismal renewal there. I walked into the river with a few folks and poured water over their heads and renewed their Baptismal promises. It was a rather impressive opportunity. The river waters were very healing. |