3rd Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 6: 1-2, 10-11;
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24;
John 1: 6-8, 19-28;
The Holy Land today is just as tense a place as it was two thousand years ago. Both the world and the Palestine of John's time were dark with sin and oppression; hunger brought on by warfare and the unequal distribution of the world's resources, neglect of the poor and the weak, bullying dictators and fanatical terrorists. What's changed? John appears amidst the darkness of this world, much as a break in the clouds allows the sun to shine through.
The world changed forever when Jesus came into it, but we're liable to forget that, unless we constantly remember the time when Israel was waiting for His coming. John the Baptist identifies himself as he who is not! He's not Elijah .. not the Christ .. not the prophet .. not the light. His own identity is much less important to him than the message which he carries, and the work he must do.
He points to Christ through his mission, his ministry and his eventual martyrdom. In the Gospel, there's a feeling of anticipation growing among the people: they were beginning to reform their lives, based on the preaching of the Baptist; and expectation was high that the Messiah, the Christ, might be revealed to them - "Are you the one or ..." We too must point to Christ in all that we do, allowing Him to live in us and shine through us.
Like the Baptist - we must decrease .. Christ must increase. But change isn't easy, and the older we get, the more we know what we like, and what we don't. We can be so resistant to change that we can see God's call to prepare a way for the Lord as a threat to our established ways and long-held views. But the Gospel asks us to open our hearts to the possibility of change.
Advent's a time to prepare not only materially, but spiritually for the Lord's coming. It's a time to try and step out of our busy lives, our tasks and appointments, and just recognise God's loving presence both in our world, and in each and every one of us. We could focus more on our blessings than our problems; we could try to become more aware of God's presence among us and become more open to change our lives as a result.
As we thank Him for His various gifts to us, let's ask ourselves how we can be of service to people who are sick in trouble, or just worried about facing Christmas on a low income. We might try and give time to those who are down, depressed, or who just don't have many friends.
Both the first reading and the psalm prophesy that poor people and social outcasts have good reason to be happy, while the text from which Jesus quotes in the Gospel offers good news to the poor and proclaims a time of grace or jubilee, while St. Paul considers that we are people who are called to be happy and rejoice at all times as he asks his readers in Thessalonika to give thanks to God for everything, and never repress their spiritual gifts.
As the holy season of Christmas draws ever nearer, let's resolve that this year's Christmas celebration will be a heartfelt and generous community celebration of God's grace, and the gift of His own Son.