Today we
celebrate the third Sunday of advent and we light the rose coloured
candle. It is also called ‘Gaudete Sunday’ which means
‘rejoice.’ Advent was originally a penitential time like
Lent, in order to prepare for Christmas. This Sunday was meant
to give everyone a break from the penitential focus in order to
remind us that the Lord’s coming is near and it is something to
rejoice in.
Advent is
also meant to be a time of hope for us, because the one who is coming
to help us is Lord of heaven and earth, the master of the whole
universe and all things are subject to him. John the Baptist
painted a pretty frightening picture of him as the one who would come
to judge all people and bring justice to the earth. But what is
also important to remember is that this extraordinary person of Jesus
is coming to help us, not to condemn us.
I wonder if
John the Baptist came here today what he would say to us. One
thing I am pretty sure of is that it would disturb us, because that
is what he did. He disturbed people by what he said. He
preached with passion and told people to change, to repent, to begin
again. What exactly did he ask people to do? He asked
them to repent of their sins, to change their way of life, to be open
to God. He challenged the religious leaders (the equivalent of
bishops and priests) to beware of how they lived, as they would be
accountable before God. Their lives must bear fruit.
Wearing religious clothes (like the Roman collar I wear as a priest)
is no guarantee that a person is pleasing to God. What is
important is how I live my life. It’s interesting how King
Herod had John arrested because he denounced him for doing what was
morally wrong, namely marrying his brother’s wife. But Herod
was troubled by John because he knew he was a holy man and liked to
listen to him. He knew that John was right.
The message
of the Gospels which we read and talk about each week is a wonderful
message of hope, but it is also a message which never lets us get too
comfortable, because if we get too comfortable in ourselves we stop
growing. This is something that Pope Francis is reminding us of
in no uncertain terms. We must live what we profess, especially
looking out for those who are poor.
If John the
Baptist came here and preached today I think he would probably say
things like, ‘Confess your sins to the priests, as God asks you
to; be faithful to your marriage; sacrifice yourselves for your
children; learn to forgive each other and don’t be seeking revenge
when things go wrong. Stop suing each other. Be just to
your employees.’ To us priests he would probably say, ‘Make
sure you are living what you preach and sacrificing yourselves for
the people you have been sent to serve; don’t let yourselves get
too comfortable and make sure God is at the heart of all that you
do. Be obedient to your bishops.’ We don’t usually
want to be challenged in this way, but this is what the Lord presents
us with.
Every year as
we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, when God ‘pitched his
tent among us’, the most important preparation we can make is the
preparation of the heart. We begin again. We look
honestly at ourselves and how we live. Do we need to change?
Probably; because it is easy to become lax and indifferent to the
struggles of the people around us.
When the Lord
challenges us to look at ourselves and begin again, it is not to make
us feel guilty or inadequate; rather it is to help us to grow.
God pushes us, if you like, helping us to become the best version of
ourselves that we can be.
Because John
the Baptist spoke the truth and challenged people with strong words,
it cost him his life. Jesus was killed because he spoke the
truth. All the Apostles and most of the Prophets were killed
too. We don’t like to be told we need to change, but if we
wish to continue to grow closer to God then we must remove everything
that prevents us from coming closer to him.
‘Prepare
a way for the Lord; make his paths straight.’
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