Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Benigno Beltran SVD – Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Quezon City
3rd Sunday of Advent – C
The first reading from the prophet Zepaniah depicts the joy of Israel in anticipation of the Lord being in their midst. The second reading from the letter to the Philippians also describes the rejoicing when the Lord is near. In the Gospel, we hear John the Baptist exhorting the people in many ways as he preaches the good news of the Lord’s coming to his people.
John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The people who responded to John’s preaching were not religious leaders willing to repent and be baptized. They were ordinary people, soldiers and tax collectors. John told them to have a selfless concern for disadvantaged brothers and sisters.
The fruits of repentance can manifest in various ways. We can share what we have with the needy. It involves feeding the hungry. We should refuse to cheat others in our negotiations with them. We must ensure we never use our money and power to oppress the least, the lost, and the last – the most vulnerable among us. We have to heal the split between our faith and the expected morality that stems from it.
John the Baptist is a model for us. We have to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, we are not the Messiah. We have to lead others to faith in Jesus.
Have our words and actions caused others to talk to us and allowed us to point them to Jesus? We have to challenge them to repent, so that they too will be prepared for the coming of the Lord at the end of time, when he will judge the living and the dead.
John would meet a violent death as a direct result of his preaching. Likewise, Jesus would be put to death as a result of his preaching. His followers are also called to share his death and rising. We should be ready to do likewise if needed.
Who have been the John the Baptists in your life – people who showed you the way, led you to Christ and encouraged you to follow him? If you asked John the Baptist, “What then should we do?’ how would he answer in the context of your life now, with all its joys and sinfulness?
Accepting our responsibility to God is liberating. It sets us free when we turn to God for forgiveness and experience the blessings of obeying his word. The diverse responses to each question show that we should always be open to what God expects us to do.
Let our celebration of Christmas open our hearts to respond to the coming of the Messiah.
