It is something I have thought about, not with regard to men in particular, but I’ll take a shot. There are several things which came to my mind when I meditated and thought about the parallel passages in Matthew’s Gospel.
John the Baptist is baptizing in the wilderness northwest of Jericho. This is the same spot where Israel first crossed into the promised land after the Exodus. In both Matthew and Mark’s Gospels, Jesus chooses to start his public ministry here. In Matthew especially, Jesus is reliving the life of Israel and as Israel starts into the promised land at this very spot, so Jesus starts building his kingdom in this very spot.
Jesus starts in the wilderness. We are in the wilderness. Modern society is a wilderness, a wasteland without God, where billboards have women in underwear and the radio station has perverse sexual inuendo at 6:00 AM, where vasectomies are advertised in the newspaper and Churches which claim to love God teach their members that it is OK to butcher unborn infants. And Jesus starts with baptism, one of the sacraments.
If we were to go on a hiking trip into the wilderness, what would we bring? What gear would we travel with? Jesus does just this, is baptized and then heads into the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days. He is the incarnate Word of God, and he brings the word of God with him. He brings it becuase he is God, he inspired it, he wrote it. Jesus is also baptized in preparation. He brings his status as God’s “Beloved Son” with him. We to have to bring the word of God into the wilderness of society, and the sacraments are our preparation.
Do we frequent confession? Do we go to Mass daily if possible? Do we pray? Do we study the Holy Bible and the Catechsim? Is a Bible in our briefcase? Can we accurately handle God’s word? We wouldn’t go into the wilderness without the right tent and the right sleeping bag and neither should we go into the wilderness of society without the word of God and his sacraments, especially frequent confession and frequent Mass, a life of prayer and of scripture.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.(Matthew 3:11)
John was baptizing “for repentance” while people were confessing their sins. Jesus however, was baptizing with fire. Which would you prefer; water or fire? Which do you think God would prefer; repentance now or having to forgive you later?
The word repent means to change your mind. If you repent now, and change your mind and your behavior, you won’t have to be forgiven later. You can take the water of repentance now or the fires of purgatory for forgiveness later - which will you choose? Will you choose John’s water - repentance, or Jesus’ fire - forgiveness. Yeah, we all need forgiveness, but I would rather not commit the sin that I need to be forgiven for the in the first place. I want a small list of sins when I go into the confessional. A big list of sins means a long time in purgatory.
And how are you making straight the way of the Lord? We are told that our bodies are temples, that the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Jesus said that He and the Father will come to us and make our abode in us. But this cannot happen if we sin repeatedly. Frequently repeating the same sin, even if we go to confession and are forgiven, is like making that trail in the wilderness a steep, rocky trail, rutted and fill of roots, where Jesus has to struggle to get to us. If we repent however, change our mind and behavior, and don’t commit the sin, then we make the way straight. The path for Jesus isn’t so steep. There are no rocks for him to struggle past. If we repent in the first place, instead of requiring forgiveness for repeated sins, Jesus comes to us by a wide paved road. I want to make my heart and my body a wide, sweeping exit ramp, so Jesus can drive his ZR1 Corvette right off the freeway, into my driveway, and park it in my spacious three car garage, where I will wash it and wax it for him while he has a bite in my kitchen. (ha ha). I do that by repenting instead of always needing to confess the same sins.
And what of our baptism by water? Many things were promised to Jesus on our behalf long ago, which we confirmed at our confirmation. Do we live those promises? Do we even know what they are?
*Priest: If you have firmly resolved to live in accordance with the holy doctrine of Christ, ever to remain faithful to His Church, to avoid sin, to love God with your whole heart, and your neighbor as yourself, declare now this your will, and promise in the presence of the All-seeing God, before your parents, teachers, and the whole congregration.
You: This we have firmly resolved and do no solemnly promise in the presence of the All-seeing God, our Lord and Savior, before our parents, pastor, teachers, and the whole congregration.*
It is a wilderness out there. Sexual temptation for men is terrible nowadays. You can’t escape it. We need to renew our baptismal promises and life it in a life of reprentance so that we don’t need to keep confessing the same things over and over and over. This will make our journey through purgatory that much easier. We need the right gear for the daily trips we take through the wilderness of society - the word of God, frequent confession, the Eucharist, a life of prayer, reading spiritual books, carrying a small hand Bible with us and reading it when we have a few moments.
And Our Lady. She is our compass and our map. She will always lead us through the wilderness to our destination, Jesus her Son. She will help us ready the three car garage of our body and the can of carnuba wax which is our heart, and help us build that offramp to Jesus can come to us and make his abode with us.
Tim
