About 150 years before the birth of Jesus, a group of pious Israelites read the passage in Isaiah which has appeared in the Gospels for the past two Sundays of Advent: “a voice cries out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord.” This prompted them to found a proto-monastic community in the desert east of Jerusalem known as Qumran, part of the larger movement known as the Essenes. Recent scholarship has shown that this movement had a greater influence on Christianity than previously thought, and that it is likely that John the Baptist was a member of this community before beginning his public ministry.

Fr. Anthony discusses this interesting connection and its implication for us today in the 21st century. He believes that like 1st century Jews, we live in a place and time that is increasingly far from God, suffering from failed religious and political leadership. Only an extraordinary intervention from God can renew society. But in the meantime, God is forming a remnant of the faithful. Each of us needs to discern how, and to what extent, we withdraw from society to ensure our own faithfulness and that of our children and to engage society to make disciples of Jesus.

Here are some resources:

Audio Recording of Fr. Anthony’s homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent

First Episode of Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Talk by Rod Dreher on his book, The Benedict Option