The wisdom of Jesus is: Awesome. Everlasting. Astounding. Surprising. Courageous.

When was the last time you paused to consult your conscience before making a decision? Welcome to Radical and Relevant, where we are exploring the enduring wisdom of Jesus' teachings and how they apply to our everyday lives. In today's reading from the first chapter of Mark's Gospel, we encounter John the Baptist challenging people to turn back to God. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare the way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths.'"

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem. And they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and had a leather girdle around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Remember, we're looking for a word, a phrase, an idea, and a virtue to focus our experience of the gospel and help us to integrate these lessons into the various aspects of our everyday lives. The word that jumps out at me today is repentance. Repentance is an acknowledgement of guilt and a firm resolution to turn back to the right path. The very nature of repentance requires a profound humility only possible by grace. The phrase that stirs within me in this reading is, "Make straight your path." Have you ever driven a car with alignment issues? It's not fun. The car keeps pulling to one side or to the other. It requires real effort not to crash, and it can be scary and dangerous. Is your life in alignment with the gospel? If not, your life is probably like driving a car that has alignment issues. If it were your car, you'd take it in and have the alignment worked on. 

Confession does something similar for us spiritually, and you may be in need of a really good spiritual alignment. Advent is a great time to do that. But spiritually, it's not enough to have an alignment once a year. John the Baptist talks about making straight your path, but is that one event or a way of life? Jesus calls us to continuous conversion of the heart, to this continuous realignment. We all have cold, hard, and dark places in our hearts. And that's why Jesus invites us to a daily conversion of the heart. That's what we're doing each day. That's what we're doing here. In a sense, by reflecting on the gospel each day and considering how it applies to our lives, we're allowing God to give us a micro alignment each day. 

The beauty and benefit of this is that if we do this diligently and persistently, we should never need a major overhaul. The other thing I love about John the Baptist is that he knows his place. He isn't trying to be someone he isn't. He isn't trying to pretend that he is more than he is. He is content with his place in God's story. That's the idea that I find arresting in today's reading. He knows his place. Now often this phrase is used in a derogatory way when someone says to you, "Know your place." But in God's plans, this is a critical concept. We are one body. If the hands try to be the feet, everything gets out of alignment and off course very quickly. Do you know your place in God's plans? If you do, fantastic. That's a real gift. Attend to your part in His plan. If you don't yet know your place in God's plan, that is something to pray about patiently, every day, until it is revealed to you.

The virtue today's Gospel invites us to adopt is conversion of the heart. How would you describe your heart? How is your heart different to the heart of God? The gospel of Jesus Christ is as radical and relevant today as ever before. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Go out into the world today and astonish people with your desire to do God's will. And remember, don't just be yourself. Be the very best version of yourself, all that God has created you to be.

Thank you, ambassadors. You are changing the world. Have a great day. Bye-bye. Simon, come sit. I love you. Have a great day!