A story is told of a soldier who asked a monk, "Teach me the difference between heaven and hell." The monk said, "You are an obvious coward, not a warrior. Furthermore, I believe you do not know how to use that gun." The soldier was so enraged that he drew his revolver from his holster to shoot the monk. As he prepared to squeeze the trigger, the monk said calmly, "That's hell." The abashed soldier immediately came to his senses and placed his gun back in its holster. And the monk said quietly, "That's heaven." In seventeen days we will celebrate the feast when heaven came to earth as a Child. As a fitting preparation for Christmas maybe each one of us could try in our own way to reproduce heaven on earth in the here and now? Why do we need to wait for Christmas day itself? In today’s Gospel, Matthew tells us John appeared in the desert of Judea preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins. We like to think that the Baptizer was speaking to hardened sinners. But, actually, he was doing nothing of the sort. The record shows he was preaching not to criminals but to the Pharisees, Scribes, and Publicans. These were, as we like to say, good church-going folk. What he was doing was taking people just like us to task. Basically, although it might be hard for us to imagine, when John speaks about the “brood of vipers” we are on his “vipers list.” John, who is our decidedly unamused mentor this season, commands, "...prove your repentance by the fruit it bears." So what can we do to get off the list? Make friends with someone you're at odds with. Go to confession. Pick up the phone and talk to somebody you haven't talked to in months or years. Be the first to hold out the hand of reconciliation even though it might get slapped or rejected. Don't turn your head at shady dealings. Be willing to put some of your possessions on the line. Tithe, not out of your excess, but out of your substance. Add up your Christmas spending bills that you chalked up for presents and then slice off 10 percent and give it to the poor. Give evidence that you mean to repent." Great opportunities to help others seldom come but small ones surround us every day. It takes only a minute to be kind, but the prophet reminds us the end result can remain forever and a day. This Advent let’s put a big smile on the face of John the Baptist and those around us. He sounds as though he just might need it.
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