Today we continue to look at John the Baptist. Like another preacher after him, St Paul, John set a high bar for personal performance. "He is possessed by a demon," the people said about John because of his preaching and the lifestyle he lived. They both frightened and threatened the people. He neither ate nor drank. Wouldn't fit too well in our society today! Although not a demon, we do recognize that he was very different.
In our times were a St. Paul or a John the Baptist to come upon and watch our style of living both would surely criticize the technology that has become the dominant "power" in our lives. A friend often tells me he has to check back to his cellphone and computer hourly to make sure he has not missed either a call or a message. And who has proclaimed that slavery has ended? Is it not a truth to say that electronic noise continues to amplify up to a decibel level that may make it impossible to hear the voice of God when he calls or mails us!
Surely all of us want to hear God speaking to us. However, in our culture we find it difficult to hear God. Noise abounds in so many different ways.
