I send my messenger before you to prepare your way;
a herald’s voice in the desert, crying,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord, clear him a straight path!

Thus begins the Gospel of St. Mark. The story of our redemption is closely connected to two men who happened   to be cousins, Jesus and John the Baptizer. John followed in a long line of prophets who God sent repeatedly to the Chosen People to help them understand the meaning and purpose of life. God, according to Jewish historians, was always there for them. He led them out of captivity and bondage and even led them to a new land. They repeatedly seemed to forget all that He did for them and reverted to the old ways of looking at life. All He wanted from them was that they would be honest in their relationship with Him.

As we reflect on the history of Israel we quickly realize that their history is the history of humankind. It seems that we humans find it much easier to just live   in accord with our natural tendencies instead of realizing that we have been given this earthly existence in order to develop ourselves as spiritual beings.

We recall that the preaching of John the Baptizer, which was then continued by Jesus after John’s death, was Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. John, and then Jesus, attempted to help people come to an understanding of life and live in such a manner that they would be able to spiritually grow. Both John and Jesus attempted to point out to the leaders of their religion that any worship of God must be authentic. The only way that our religion is truly authentic is if it changes the way that we deal with other people. It is not by mere chance that the majority of all the stories that are in the New Testament about people who have truly understood the teaching of Jesus involve people who were considered as outcasts by the majority of the “religious” people of Israel. It is always a Samaritan that seems to understand the message of Jesus. Probably one of the most profound of all the parables of Jesus is that of the Good Samaritan.

As we prepare to celebrate the Baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan we must remember the message of John and Jesus. They called us to a way of living that says: How you treat others is how you actually treat God! We are here on earth to learn how to open our hearts and minds to what God intended when He created life and not what we may think is the purpose of life.