Is. 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Pet. 3:8-14; Mk. 1:1-8
The message from today's readings tells us to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Today's Gospel passage brings us to the beginning of the Gospel according to Mark, where we encounter the figure of John the Baptist. In these verses, we hear the echoes of the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming the coming of a messenger to prepare the way for the Lord. John, dressed in humble garments of camel's hair and a leather belt, emerges in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Travelling back through time, let us imagine that we were living in the days of the great prophet Isaiah. It was about 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Through the great prophet Isaiah, God was speaking to His people.
As Biblical history tells us, God's chosen people was not always faithful to Him. When the people lived righteously by obeying the Commandments, they received Divine blessings. When they lived in sin, they were punished. Now the day had arrived when God was revealing to those who lived in Jerusalem that they had served their term. They had paid double the penalty for their sins of unfaithfulness.