The Lord's promises are steadfast
The Lord's promises are steadfast. If he has promised something, he will surely fulfill the promise. But the most important thing in his attitude is love. Love is the driving force behind his actions: “Though the mountains fall away and the hills be shaken, My love shall never fall away from you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the LORD, who has mercy on you.” (cf. Is 54:10)
God's love is clearly directed in a special way to man. Saint Paul speaks of a secret plan of love. And although it sometimes seems as if God has abandoned man, as it was during the Babylonian captivity to all Israel, God remains faithful to the love He has promised. This truth applies to everyone's life. There are moments when God is within reach of our hand, but then comes the desert time - as if God is departing. It is a particularly important time in view of the tests of our faithfulness. If in such a situation we choose God and his orders, it means that we truly choose him. This choice, however, requires a firm decision and consistency. We need to break down and be open to the truth, which is sometimes painful to us. Only then can we participate in God's saving plan. The turning point is recognizing our weakness.
John the Baptist, the prophet who prepared Jesus' way, had to be a spiritually strong man. Jesus gave him the highest grade: among those born of women, no one is greater than John (cf. Lk 7:28). He preached a baptism of conversion that opened people's hearts to receive God in the form of his Son. Recognizing our own weakness remains the first and most important gesture to accept God and his mercy.
A person who is not humble enough to acknowledge his weakness and begin penance frustrates God's plan for himself. Confessing one's own weakness is not a sign of weakness, but it is an expression of freedom that requires bravery. We win then in the greatest battle of our life, we overcome our weakness and fear. Saint John the Baptist, invoking us to this gesture, thus prepares in our hearts the way for the Lord. John himself was a humble man, aware of his own frailty. And that is why he received such a high mark in the eyes of our Lord Jesus. On the other hand, the self-confident Pharisees and the scribes thwarted God's intention for themselves by not receiving baptism from John (cf. Lk 7:30). They lacked humility, that is, the courage to recognize the full truth about themselves.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george