Last week I introduced you to a little book known as the Ordo, a liturgical calendar that I edit and publish for the English speaking Franciscans of the world. Today I come armed with another book. This book is entitled “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.” The sub-title to the book is “The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.” That’s right; besides being an editor and publisher, I am also a former high school English teacher. If you are at all familiar with this book, you, like I, appreciate the importance of punctuation in the English language. The title of the book demonstrates that importance. Without a comma after the word “eats,” the book could be about Pandas who eat bamboo shoots and leaves. With the comma, it is obviously about someone who, after eating, shoots a gun and then leaves the room.
Punctuation developed rather late in the history of written language. Hebrew, Greek and Latin did not employ it at all at the time that the Scriptures were first written, nor was it in vogue at the time that the Gospels were first translated into Latin. Today's readings present us with an interesting dilemma that revolves around punctuation.
The first reading from Isaiah presents us with the following quotation: A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord. (Isaiah 40:3) The Gospel quotes the prophet but punctuates the sentence differently: A voice cries out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord. (Mark 1:3) While Isaiah seems to be saying that we should prepare the way in the desert, Mark's version highlights the fact that the voice itself is in the desert. Mark's version focuses on the voice of John the Baptist. Isaiah's version focuses on the placement of the road or the way. Yes, it's a very technical point. However, it can be argued that the placement of that colon makes all the difference in the world.
Israel's love affair with God began in the desert. After leading the people out of Egypt with Moses at the head of the line, God initiated a covenant with them as they camped in the Sinai desert. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the sacred writers return to the desert as the symbol of their special relationship. Isaiah employs that symbol in many of his Messianic prophecies as he speaks of God transforming the desert into a garden. Other prophets speak of God leading Israel back to the desert to woo her all over again. Those who "punctuated" the text of the prophet obviously felt that the desert was the important symbol in the oracle from chapter forty which was proclaimed today.
However, the Gospel focuses our attention on the Baptist. He is the voice in the desert, the one who challenges the people to get ready for the advent of the Lord by repentance and conversion. The evangelist is evoking the image of Elijah, another desert dweller, the one who was to return to herald the Messiah. For the evangelist, it is the message and the messenger that are important rather than the location of the highway.
The importance of the message, however, does not rely upon the punctuation. No matter which version becomes the focus of our prayer today, the message to those of us who are waiting is clear: our responsibility lies in heeding the messenger and the message. John the Baptist reminds us of our responsibility to continue to proclaim the message while Isaiah reminds us of the importance of our love relationship with God. Both are important components of the Advent journey.
As that journey continues, we come to the table of the Lord looking for sustenance and to celebrate the reconciliation that has been won for us in Jesus, our Savior. Let us find time in these busy days of preparation for the great feast of Christmas to prepare our hearts for Jesus.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator