DGEMs

Radical Ethical Living: In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist proclaimed, a radical ethical living for his followers to prepare for coming of Jesus.  He is the Christ whom John is unfit to undo the straps of His sandals.  Are we open to the challenges of such radical living for the season of Advent? 

When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do, then?’ he answered, Anyone who has two tunics must share with the one who has none, and anyone with something to eat must do the same.’ 

There were tax collectors, too, who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’ He said to them, ‘Exact no more than the appointed rate.’ Some soldiers asked him in their turn, ‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!’ 

A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to wonder whether John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’