On the second Sunday of Advent one of the leading
figures of this liturgical season appears, John the Baptist. The Catechism
of the Catholic Church portrays him as follows: “[He] is the Lord’s
immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to prepare his way … Going before Jesus
‘in the spirit and power of Elijah,’ John bears witness to Christ in his
preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom” (#523).
We usually emphasize his austerity: “John wore
clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food
was locusts and wild honey.” It was the typical dress and nourishment of the
prophets, especially Elijah; and John is a prophet, the last of the prophets;
Jesus will call him “more than a prophet.” Of course, not only his clothing and
food were those of a prophet; in his preaching he behaved like the ancient
prophets. As we can see in today’s gospel, when he addresses the Pharisees and
Sadducees, he does not mince his words. At the center of his message there is a
call for conversion. Nowadays it is fashionable to interpret this call
(“Repent!”) according to the etymological meaning of the original Greek verb (μετανοεῖτε), that is, “change your mind.” Of course, this
is also part of the process of conversion; but without exhausting it. Conversion
is like a “U-turn” in driving: it means to change direction, to turn back to
God, abandoning sin and changing one’s life.
Great problems of interpretation arise when we
read the words used by John in his preaching. He talks of “impending wrath,” of
an “ax lying at the root of the trees,” of “trees cut down and thrown into the
fire.” He says of Jesus: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire …
He will clear his threshing floor … he will burn the chaff with unquenchable
fire.” Well, these words not only are unfamiliar to our present way of
thinking, but they do not correspond to what Jesus actually did. No doubt Jesus
had a style totally different from that foretold by John; next Sunday we will
see the bewilderment of the Baptist in front of Jesus’ actual behavior. But can
we say that John failed in his mission of preparing the way of the Lord? Not at
all. He did prepare the way of the Lord—and could not prepare it
better—precisely in that manner, threatening people with God’s wrath, and
urging them to repent, if they wanted to escape from it.
Admittedly, Jesus came to reveal the mercy of
God; but, to experience it, there is need of conversion. God’s mercy is not
low-priced; it has a cost: if we want to be forgiven, we have to repent. No
conversion, no mercy. Without conversion, the only prospect for us is to
experience the impending wrath. We are no more accustomed to hear of God’s
wrath, as if it does not exist, because in God there would be only mercy and
love. But this is not the God of the Bible—not only of the Old Testament, but
even of the New. Saint Paul tells us that Jesus came to deliver us from the
coming wrath (1Thess 1:10). This does mean that there is no wrath, but that we
have to be delivered from it. Paul adds: “God did not destine us for wrath, but
to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thess 5:9). Exactly in this
we can see the infinite mercy of God: he does not want us to succumb to his
wrath.
But there is need for people to know the risk
they run. That is why John threatens the Pharisees and Sadducees: “You brood of
vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” These threats are not aimed
at plunging people into the depths of despair, but at arousing in them a sound
fear of God. Today’s first reading talks of it. Nowadays many think that we
should not feel fear for God, but only love. In reality, fear and love do not
oppose each other; indeed, if we want to experience the love of God, we have
first to fear him. The fear of the Lord is the best preparation to receive his
mercy. That is precisely what John did to prepare the way of the Lord.
Q
