The season of Advent is a time when we are called to prepare ourselves for the second coming of Christ. As we see in today’s gospel, John the Baptist is telling people to repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. He is making people aware of the first coming of Christ. He says I am baptizing you with water, but the one who is coming after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. As always, our biggest goal is to be ready for the second coming of Christ, to be able to share all of eternity with God in heaven.

To repent is to admit that your life is sinful, and you are now willing to change your life around. All of us are sinners and we all need to be saved. Admit that you cannot save yourself any more than a toddler can win the Boston Marathon, or that you can perform open heart surgery on yourself to save your life. When you get really sick, what do you do.? You go see a doctor for help, and if you need surgery, you have faith that your doctor can and will heal you. You put all your trust in him. Your life is in his/her hands. However if you need surgery and refuse to see a doctor, you could die.

Now if you realize that something is wrong with your spiritual life; I am a sinner, my heart is not pure, I have resisted the call of God, I have rejected Christ, and unless I turn to Christ, I will spend eternity in hell. What must I do to be saved? You must turn to Christ and beg for forgiveness, admit that you can not save yourself and trust that Christ can and will change your troubled heart. If you would put so much trust in a human doctor to save you, why would you not turn to Jesus for help. This is Jesus, the son of God who created heaven and earth, who worked miracles when he was on earth.

God loves us so much that He gave us His only Son who died a horrible death on the Cross and shed his blood for our sins that we might be saved from hell. By the grace and mercy of God, this is a free gift to us, even though we do not deserve it. However, to get this gift you must ask for it and desire it with all your heart. Turn to Jesus in trust and ask him to repair your sinful heart and trust that He can and will do it immediately. Do this every day and especially when tempted to sin because you do not know the exact day of the second coming of Christ. Remember that while we are on earth we are not without sin. Satan is constantly trying to turn us away from God. Pray to God, read your Bible often, be a kind and loving person, be happy. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. John 14:6

Lloyd Lapierre