Mc 1:1-8

The text of Isaiah we have just heard is a text for captives. In its historical context it was addressed to the Jews living in exile in Babylon. But beyond the historical context, it is pertinent for any era. It is relevant for us today. For those who live in exile here in Belgium with or without official papers, for those who, working at the European institutions or not, live away from their roots for those who are captives in their body suffering from illness and those who are captives in their mind suffering from depression, for those who are trapped in contemporaries ideologies, for those who are entangled in complicated human relationships, for drug or internet addicts and workoholics. Aren't we all captives somewhere ?

So this text is for us. It unfolds in three steps. Consolamini, consolamini... comfort, give comfort. Here is a task given to us. It is not God alone who will come and comfort us. We are asked to console. It expresses God's unlimited trust in the human race. God is suggesting that we, as captives, can console others. However caught we are in our captivity and addictions, there is potential for ourselves to become comforters of people. And possibly, it is because we make the experience of being captives, that we can become compassionate men and women and that we can listen to the cries of others. The path of comforting then becomes a path out of our captivity. Here is a first liberating message of hope. Our God is a trusting God, who beliefs that any captive has something to give, that any addict can offer a path to destiny to others. Give comfort and God will lead you out of captivity. Secondly. Prepare the way of the Lord. Prepare your way to return to freedom. Don't set out immediately, but prepare the journey. Again God takes us from where we are and gives us time before we find our way back to freedom. The way proposed by God is not any way : it is a way through the desert. Isaiah means, not the usual way from Babylon to Jerusalem avoiding the desert by the long detour in the north. No ! The direct way from Babylon to Jerusalem : through the desert. God is impatient to get us back to freedom : he offers a direct way. This does not mean an easy way : deserts are no easy place for a human being to survive, but it is a direct way. He is prepared to many changes to make this pilgrimage possible : Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low ; The rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. On this proposed direct way to freedom, his glory will shine and guide us. This is a second hopeful message. God will be at our side before and during our journey to freedom. Troisième étape du texte d'Isaïe : la proclamation. Après les expériences de captivités, après les préparations pour partir vers le chemin de la liberté, après le cheminement à travers le désert, alors seulement nous sommes appelés à proclamer le nom de Dieu, le berger qui rassemble son troupeau. Riche du chemin parcouru, nous pourrons proclamer notre expérience de la présence de Dieu sur notre chemin de vie. La joie du chemin parcouru ensemble nous donnera les forces nécessaires pour encore monter une montagne et témoigner.

Peut-être la chanson de Jean-Jacques Goldman, Ensemble vous dit-elle quelque chose. (http://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=qjM2QKiqhfU&NR=1). Souviens-toi... je ne me souviens que d'un mur immense, mais nous étions ensemble, ensemble nous l'avons franchi. Nos captivités, nos dépendances ne sont-elles pas comme un mur immense, qui peut paraître infranchissable. Le chanteur ne précise pas avec qui il a franchi ce mur. Peut-être un ami, une épouse... je ne sais pas. Mais pourquoi ne s'agirait-il pas aussi de Dieu à qui nous demandons de revenir de loin pour croiser nos chemins ? Un Dieu qui est ensemble avec nous pour franchir des murs qui nous semblent trop hauts, de profonds creux de foi ou d'affection, des désarrois de peur ou de maladie. C'est ce Dieu dont nous préparons la venue. L'avent est une période de temps qui nous rassemble, un temps de préparation pour commencer ou recommencer le chemin que Dieu-avec-nous offre pour nous libérer de nos servitudes et franchir les murs qui nous enferment. Que l'espérance de cet accompagnement nous amène ensemble à notre destinée.

Amen.