Whose Voice?

By Didier Descouens - Own work, 

Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57571379

My previous post Awake or Awakened I alluded to  idea that one can be awake but not necessarily awakened. In both the first reading from Isaiah and the Gospel reading from Mark we hear of a voice crying in the wilderness or the desert proclaiming salvation of the people. We hear many voices in our society today, but they seem to be competing with each other and most of them lead us onto roads that usually have dead ends.  I never considered that instead of listening to these voices that I myself am being asked to be the voice. Imagine what the world would be like if we who have traveled the path into the desert which seems to have no return, come back and proclaim the word. We who do not take the easy way out, who have endured trials and tests, yet emerge victorious time and time again raise our voice to proclaim the way. What would the world be like?

As I reflected this morning on my daily meditation, the question was posed, "What is your role in proclaiming the coming of the Lord?" Am I merely awake or have I been awakened to action? Am I the passive listener who internalizes the Word or do I truly live it out? Do I take bold actions in this time of secular relativism and live out my faith so that others can see? The answers to these questions are not easy for me to consider, partly because I know that I am similar to the disciples cowering in the upper room after Jesus ascended in heaven. I am afraid of the world out there, how people will think of me if I take the bold action and truly live out my faith. John the Baptist demonstrated no such fear as far as we know. Emboldened by the Spirit he took action bringing hope to those looking for something better than what they had.

Faith and hope. Two words that are very much part of Scripture and despite the numerous stories of the ancients that due to their faith in God and the hope that God would deliver them, I still waiver.  Yet something in me says there is still reason to move forward. Hope against hope.  Interestingly enough when the word hope is defined in the dictionary, the reader comes upon two definitions for the noun:  archaic hope - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen; hope - a feeling of trust.  I gravitate towards the second as I have trust/faith in God, but don't like to desire for certain things to happen because as I human I become disillusioned when things don't happen as planned.  For right now I will trust that God can use me as voice to someone, somewhere today, and bring the news of the coming of our Lord. 

So I am off to Mass and today I will be a lector for the first two readings. Although I didn't really think of it until I began writing this piece, I am proclaiming the Good News. Happy Second Sunday of Advent. May this season be filled with hope and may you have the faith of Mary as you await the coming of our Savior.