2nd Week of Advent, Thursday – 10th December 2020 — Gospel: Mt 11,11-15
Model to Enter the kingdom
Jesus praises John the Baptist for preparing people to hear about the advent of the kingdom of God. In God’s estimation, John was the greatest man ever born of a woman. Because, he was simply a man who believed in the Messiah and who totally committed his life to that belief. At the same time, Jesus said that from the time of John the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing (Mt 11,12). It is because John stirred people to enter into the kingdom just as an army storms or rushes into a city. His message was the heralding, the actual proclamation that the Messiah had come. In fact, Luke gives prelude to John’s forceful ministry saying, “The Law and the prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it” (Lk 16,16). He had a real interest and desire, a vigorous stirring and struggle, a diligent seeking after God to enter the kingdom of heaven. John becomes truly a model of a person who really wishes to enter the kingdom of heaven, by denying himself and by changing his behaviour through repentance.
