Feast of St. Mark - The Time is Fulfilled

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
`Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,'"
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Mark 1:1-15

The Time is Fulfilled

Dear Author of all time and eternity
we have lived through many rotations
the sun has risen and set so many days
we are captives aching for freedom
lost in once familiar surroundings.

Too many have died, too many alone
depression and loneliness augmented
by hunger, poverty, uneven distribution
the rich are getting their bail outs
while the poor still wait for hand outs.

Help us to see You in the midst of this
time seems unending and unmarked
helpless to change our circumstances
we seek someone to blame, scapegoat
needing to find fault in this pandemic.

We are at fault for not listening sooner
we are those who were careless and rude
help us this day to be kindness and caring
let us turn and embrace the good news
the God of love is here among us now. Amen