A monastery had gone into a steep decline, the monks had lost their sense of commitment to the religious life, and vocations were drying up.  The Abbott sought out a nearby hermit to ask for advice.  The hermit told him that the Messiah had come again and was, for the time being living as one of the monks in the monastery, before revealing himself to the world.  The Abbott went back and told this to the monks.  As time went on the monks developed a new respect for one another, and were joined together in a new bond of love, their common prayer became much more fervent than it had been, and vocations to the monastic life started to increase.

We can think of the hermit being like John the Baptist; in today`s gospel he tells people the messiah is in their midst and they change their ways.  We may feel isolated and alone at the moment, but Christ is with us. Let`s turn to Him and ask Him to be especially with those who need Him most.