The beginning of the gospel of Jesus (the Son of God).
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the 'Nay of the Lord, make straight his paths.'''
John (the) Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.
And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
In other words…
It was Sunday morning and mass was about to start in a village in Ghana.
Before the priest could proceed, a man approached the priest and asked for baptism. When questioned why the sudden request, he said that the idea came to him quite mysteriously. He made a living by selling medicine over the counter in towns and villages. The day before on the way to a certain village, the small transport he took lost control and ended up in the gutter. He was still inside, glad to find himself alive, while the transport was lying on its side. He discovered himself repeatedly saying: "I want to be a Catholic! I want to be a Catholic!" He did not know why he was saying it. That was the simple reason for his sudden request.
Baptism is a mysterious gift of God. By it we become children of God and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. However, its value has been eroded as people put more emphasis on the other aspects of baptism, such as, the choice of godparents, the kind of party that should be put up, the place of baptism, etc. Many are using the occasion to upgrade their social status by selecting a powerful and influential kumpare or kumare.
As we prepare and move closer to Christmas, it is wise for Mother Church to encourage her children to look deeper into the meaning and content of their faith. Most of us were baptized as children and our parents took the responsibility of answering for us. Our catechism classes before first communion and confirmation lack the bite that will make martyrs out of us. The appearance of St. John the Baptist should help us think of the best way to prepare for Christ's coming.
- Fr. Carlos Lariosa, SVD (Binucayan, Agusan del Sur)
December 7, 2008
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus (the Son of God). 
It was Sunday morning and mass was about to start in a village in Ghana.
Before the priest could proceed, a man approached the priest and asked for baptism. When questioned why the sudden request, he said that the idea came to him quite mysteriously. He made a living by selling medicine over the counter in towns and villages. The day before on the way to a certain village, the small transport he took lost control and ended up in the gutter. He was still inside, glad to find himself alive, while the transport was lying on its side. He discovered himself repeatedly saying: "I want to be a Catholic! I want to be a Catholic!" He did not know why he was saying it. That was the simple reason for his sudden request.