Richard Hooker, Priest, Anglican Apologist, Teacher of the Faith, 1600.
Martin of Porres, Friar, 1639.
Text for the Reflection
Matthew 3:1-6
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’
John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Reflection
Today we are remembering Richard Hooker, an Anglican priest and great teacher of faith, and Martin of Porres who was a friar. Today´s text introduces an interesting character, John the Baptist. His role was to prepare the way for the Lord and this is what he is exactly doing in today´s text. He lived a solitary life in the wilderness just like monks who lived the solitary life of prayer and contemplation. His message is simple, “repent for the kingdom of God has come near.” People today think of repentance as feelings, especially feeling sorry for your sin. Yes, it involves feeling sorry for your sins but it goes deeper than that. From its Greek word metanoia, it is an action word. John told his listeners to make change their minds, not merely to feel sorry for what they had done. Repentance speaks of a change of direction, not sorrow in the heart. This is what great teachers of faith like Richard Hooker taught. We are mortal and fragile human beings hence we need to continue repenting from our sinful ways.
Let Us Pray
O God of peace, the bond of all love,
who in thy Son Jesus Christ hast made for all people
thine inseparable dwelling place:
give us grace that,
after the example of thy servant Richard Hooker,
we thy servants may ever rejoice
in the true inheritance of thine adopted children
and show forth thy praises now and for ever;
through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
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