John the Baptist, repentance, and the merciful love of God

Saturday 3rd December 2022

As we begin our second week of Advent, we continue on our journey towards Christmas with John the Baptist and his message of repentance.

We are delighted to be joined by Fr Frankie Mulgrew in the video below to explore this idea of repentance and how the Sacrament of Reconciliation can open the door to God’s merciful love and the peace described by the Prophet Isaiah in our first reading.

Fr Frankie said: “In this Sunday’s reading, John the Baptist is trying to set the scene.

“And here’s the thing with John the Baptist, he must have known what was to come with Jesus, but to an extent, did he really know? Did he really encounter all the love and all the mercy that was going to come?

Explore the theme of repentance with Fr Frankie in the video below

“So, for example, John the Baptist says “I’m not even worthy to bend down and do his sandals”. Whereas Jesus is going to show up and – forget that – He’s going to bend down
and wash the feet of his disciples.

“Jesus just didn’t come to save us but he came to share his life with us. He comes to give us his divinity.

“And so, therefore, in confession, at Mass, in any sacrament, he’s pouring out his divinity.”

Fr Frankie then goes on to explore our first reading from the Prophet Isaiah, who reveals a beautiful image of true peace where “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.”

Reminding us of the words of St Elizabeth Ann Seton about confession – “Oh, Lord – I see new scenes” – Fr Frankie shows us how the Sacrament of Reconciliation not only opens the door to God’s mercy, but it transforms us into a new creation in Christ – giving us a new perspective through the grace of God that leads us to that same peace described by the prophet Isaiah.

So this Sunday, we continue our Advent journey with a wonderful new vision and an invitation to open our hearts to the unfathomable mercy of God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation; to become new creations and ever better versions of ourselves, ready to receive Christ deeper into our hearts this Christmas.

Tagged | Advent | Catholic Church | John the Baptist | Sacraments