Today we
celebrate the third Sunday of advent and we light the rose colored
candle. Today 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 is
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 it says, ‘he 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, what would he say to us? 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. Do you really need all
the things you have?’ 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, 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 also killed because he spoke the
truth. All the Apostles and most of the Prophets were killed too and
thousands of men and women throughout the ages. 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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