(Homily for the
3rd Sunday of Advent Yr. B)
Today is the third Sunday of Advent,
otherwise known as Gaudete Sunday, as
such, it is a Sunday to be joyful. But one could easily ask: what is the source
or reason for this joy? The motive for and of this joy is the presence, the
impending coming of the Messiah and his promised Salvation. A Sunday to rejoice
in and for the Savior who is already in our midst and yet who is to come. The
joy of Advent and specifically of this Sunday emanates from the certainty of
his presence, a joy of anticipation and a joy of oasis in the wilderness. The readings of today offer us the opportunity to
complete our knowledge about the One who is to come. Last Sunday St. Mark
presented Him with the titles of Christ and Son of God (that is about his being), but today John adds the title of Savior (that is, about his action). All the
readings of the period of advent stress particularly on the theme of salvation,
but today’s readings do so in an intense manner. In the different readings we
see a sort of a hymn of salvation. Indeed, we could say after
a proper reflection on our Advent journey so far, that while the first two Sundays of the Advent Season laid much emphasis on
the eschatological coming of the Lord, the
third Sunday focuses our attention adequately on the Lord already present among
us.
In the first reading taken from the prophecy
of Isaiah (Is 61:1-2.10-11), the
prophet tells us that he is sent by God to announce the joyful message of
salvation to the people of Israel, to a people in bondage and he says: “I
exult for joy in Yahweh, my soul rejoice in my God, for he has clothed me in
garments of salvation” (v.10). This passage of Isaiah’s prophecy is
taken from the Trito-Isaiah. Here, the context is the return from exile, for
when the Israelites returned from exile they saw that everything was in ruin,
in shambles, these situations put them to desolation and despair. It was in
this desolate moment that Isaiah speaks to them of the anointed One who is to
bring Good tidings to the poor, healing to the broken hearted, liberty to
captives, release to prisoners and a year of jubilee. This indeed, was for
those that just returned from exile, a
message of Great hope. Thus, in those tangible and concrete signs, the
Messiah is to be recognized in every age, including our own, for he is still
going around doing good and healing people.
Furthermore, the Christian tradition
saw in this prophetic message, not only a message of hope, but more
importantly, the figure of the long awaited Messiah, Jesus. As a matter of
fact, this passage seemed to have influenced Jesus’ comprehension of his own
mission. For this was the prophetic passage Jesus quoted when he entered the
Synagogue and was handed on the Scroll, and at the end he says “this passage is
been fulfilled as you listen to me” (Lk.
4:21), thus his presence brings the prophecy to fulfilment. This passage of
Israel’s prophecy brought to light the theme of joy in view of the imminent
advent of God’s salvation. This theme is equally reconfirmed by St. Luke in
today’s responsorial psalm, these words
resounds again through the Magnificat
of Mary “my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk. 1:47).
The second reading (1Th. 5:16-24) continues
to reinforce the message and theme of joy, raised in the first reading. St. Paul exhorts us to “Rejoice always. Pray
unceasingly. In all circumstances give thanks” (vs. 16-18). His first Letter
to the Thessalonians from which today's Second Reading is taken, is the
earliest letter St. Paul wrote and possibly, the oldest Christian manuscript.
This letter is important for it gives us a glimpse into the life of the early
Christian community, struggling to live out its faith in a harsh atmosphere of
hostility and persecution and wrestling with issues concerning the future
coming of the Lord Jesus. Indeed, some Thessalonians expected the Lord's Second Coming to occur in
their lifetime and others were discouraged by its delay. In today's passage, St. Paul urges the early Thessalonian
Christians to embrace a way of life oriented to God in joy, prayer and
thanksgiving. So, strengthened by the belief that God is faithful, let us
live the Advent Season not in passive expectation, but in a celebration of life,
in openness to the workings of the Spirit that is filled with enduring joy,
unceasing prayer and constant thanksgiving. Be that as it may, during the period of Advent, our
readings oscillate from the themes of the second coming to that of the first
coming.
In that bid, the spirituality of Advent is not akin to the contemplation of the
first coming, relegating the second at the backdrop, and vice versa.
The Gospel passage (Jn. 1:6-8.19-28) presents the Logos hymn. In this passage the
absolute “beginning” of (the Logos) in verses
1-2 is here contra posed by the
historical “beginning” of (John) in verses
6-8, which consists in the witness of John. The evangelist in this prologue glaringly speaks about the personality
of John the Baptist by via negative:
“He was not the Light, but only a witness to the Light”. The gospel passage in fact wants to show the relationship
between Jesus and John. It is within the context of light and darkness that the
reference to John is made. However, his purpose was clearly limited to one
function, namely, to testify to the light. He told his audience that he is not
the light, but the one who bears witness
to the light which enlightens consciences by means of faith and radiates joy.
The
evangelist in the second paragraph reinforces his opinion on John, he
repudiated any messianic title to John. He vehemently opined that he is neither
the Christ nor the Elijah, but only the voice as in the fortieth chapter of the
prophecy of Isaiah.
In the
passage of today’s Gospel we see two different groups of people: the priests
and the Levites on the one hand and the Pharisees on the other, who were sent
to question John the Baptist about his self-identity, role and authenticity. Who
are you? They questioned him. He did admit: “I am not the Christ”. “What then
are you? Are you Elijah?” He responded “I am not”. They interrogated him
further: Are you the Prophet? He in humility declares that he is not the
Christ, he is not Elijah, but only “a voice
that is crying in the wilderness”. John admits that he is not the Christ, yet
he also insists on the reality and importance of the role he plays in God's
plan as the precursor. He tells them that he was called upon to baptize with
water and as one who prepares the way of the Lord. For the second time, some
Pharisees were equally sent, as if they were not satisfied with his answers.
They asked him: “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or
the Prophet?” Then John answered bringing to the fore, the difference between
his baptism and that of Jesus. For he says “I baptize with water, but there is
one standing among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after
me”. The word of God reminds us today of the virtue of humility. And John the
Baptist teaches us by his Humility as a
Voice, he is not the Word, and he was very much aware of it. For a voice without the Word will only make
empty noise. We need to rediscover our rightful place as useless servants,
because “è Dio che fa”.
The Gospel passage ends with the
declaration of John the Baptist, “There is one among you whom you do
not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not
worthy to untie” (vs. 26-27). Even
today, do we really recognize Him? Do we recognize him in the poor, in those
who suffer and in the abandoned? To use the words of Mathew 25 do we recognize
Him in the least of his brothers? He is the ever-present God, He is the Emmanuel, but do you recognize Him in
your life. St. John presented Him as the One who comes (v.26), this indeed
points to the certainty not only of his presence, but equally of his Coming. Little
wonder, we have to rejoice for God is among us. The
Scripture Readings of today remind us that true joy and happiness is to be
found only in God. Yes, indeed, Advent is a time of
joyful anticipation and a time of preparation.
Indeed, the readings of today are replete undoubtedly with reasons for
joy. For the Prophet Isaiah promises that justice shall be done; St. Paul
assures that Christ will come, while St. John preaches vehemently that he is
already in our midst. Thus, the Joy of this Sunday is a threefold Joy: Joy in retrospect,
Joy in prospect, and an immediate Joy, Joy in the hinc et nunc of our existence. We are therefore called to rejoice
in and for the presence of Christ, who alone can make our Joy complete (cf. Jn. 15:11; 16:24; 1Jn.1:4). Jesus
is the source and motive of our joy, and that
is the Good News of today!!! As we continue to wait for His Coming may the
joy of the Lord be our strength (cf.
Neh. 8:10), and May He fill us
with an inexpressible and glorious joy (cf.
1Pt.1:8). Come Lord Jesus! Come for without You our Joy is incomplete!!
(Fr. Vitus M.C.
Unegbu, SC)
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