I come from a small village in the middle part of Viet Nam where it received a lot of bombing during the wars. The toys of my childhood were bomb shells, war traps, war games, and collecting and selling them to scrap for pocket money.
Among many war toys and items, there was a big bomb shell that was used by the village officials to call everyone in the village together if there was a fire or something urgent that everyone needed to come together. I remember that there was a thief who came to our village to steal, and once the bomb shell was rung, then everyone came together to catch him. It was also used to call the villagers to a local monthly meeting, and we all came together after hearing the sound of it. Here, we realize that things that were made to hurt people during wartime can be used with good and useful intentions in peace time.
Today’s Gospel is about the voice of John the Baptist in the wilderness. Just as the bomb shell in my village, John called people together to have their attention to God’s presence. He was the bell of his time that helped people to prepare themselves for the urgency that the Christ was coming.
We too, may have been the gossiping bombs in the past that hurt others, but in Christ, we can become useful too. Even with our brokenness of heart and daily heavy sighs, we are called to be the voices and hands of God in today’s circumstance. Many of us use social media, may we post less selfies and more scriptural quotes that remind our friends and family of God’s healing love in his Son.
Father Tien Cao
Assistant Priest