Sometimes you have something to share with people that causes you to well up inside with excitement to the point of going crazy. A pregnancy test, a pay raise, a college acceptance, and wedding engagement are all examples of moments in life when we might be bursting at the seams to tell somebody the good news. When we finally get the chance to tell somebody, joy just seems to flow through us with ease. We literally want the entire world to share in our jubilation.

When was the last time you shared with a friend or loved one how much your faith in Jesus means to you? You don't feel the same motivation to share? Are you not overwhelmed with a desire to spread the good news?

Don't feel bad. You are not alone. As Christians, we often fail to grasp the powerful implications of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. We can become complacent and lose sight of what matters the most. That is when sharing with others about our faith seems uncomfortable.

The first reading is a commentary of Ex. 20:12: Honor your Father and your mother, that you may have a long life. At this time, the Jews do not know yet much about life hereafter; a long life for a Jew was the highest honor. Anyone who honors a parent atones for sins. A truth based on the belief; that it also atones for many other sins. Sirach also asks children to love their parents, especially when they grow old when their health starts to fail.

St. Paul recognizes that in baptism, one takes off the old clothes and puts on new clothing, the symbol of being a chosen one, holy and beloved. They shall put on heartfelt mercy, kindness, humility, patience: Over all these virtues put on love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect. Love keeps all other clothes, all other virtues in place so that he who loves; practices all virtues. (Rom. 13:89)

The prophecy of Nathan about David became the basis for Israel’s expectation that the Messiah will come from the royal family of David, making Him the Son of David. The offspring of David is both individual and collective. First, it refers to his direct descendant (individual) Solomon, who eventually built the temple. And second, as a dynasty, which refers to the series of kings who occupied the throne of David.

To God alone be the Glory, that should be the end and fulfillment of this life. God alone gives us strength and power through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since the beginning, God decreed the salvation of man. For a long time: the fulfillment of this decree is hidden. Today, God reveals the mystery in Jesus Christ, the Son of God of the line of David. In context, the liturgy of the Word this Sunday, this mystery applies to the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. With the Incarnation, the plan of God for salvation is now in motion.

The New Testament writers see this poem of Isaiah fulfilled in Christ, the Messiah. The prophet announces the work of salvation of the Messiah, liberating every soul from captivity. The presence of the word spirit in this poem signifies a special election for the mission entrusted by God.

There is an especial emphasis on joy, prayer, and thanksgiving in the 2nd reading: that is the sign and the true spirit of those who claim to follow the way of Jesus Christ. But Paul also wants the work of the Spirit to grow in the community of Thessalonica. He wants the ontological composition of man: spirit, soul, and body emphasized, for they represent the whole man from different angles.

The Gospel introduces John the Baptist as the witness of the light. John is the lamp that brings the light to the people. He does not have any illusion of being the Messiah and neither a prophet like Elijah. He is just the forerunner or herald preparing the way of the Messiah. He is the messenger: the message (Christ)is the most important not the messenger (John).

Mark starts his Gospel alluding to Isaiah’s description of the Precursor or Herald of the Messiah. The allusion to the prophet and the reference to his prophetic action implicitly depicts John the Baptist as the link between the Old and New Testament. Technically putting John as the last prophet of the Old Testament but the first witness to Jesus Christ, the awaited Messiah. The mention of Isaiah is important because he was foremost among the Major Prophets to prophesy the coming of the Messiah. The text of v.2: “I am sending my messenger-he will prepare the way before me…” originally comes from (Mal. 3:1), points to the fact that the Old Testament, if read in the light of the Messiah/Christ, is itself a Gospel.

What is the mission of this Herald of the Messiah? “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight.” Just as in Exodus, God promises to send his messenger to Israel and guide them to the promised land, the character we all know to be attributed to Moses. Someone prepares the way is a classical expression in Jewish literature of God’s comfort and salvation. In the Christian context, John the Baptist is alluded to as the voice in the wilderness and Jesus is the Lord whose ways he prepares and makes straight.