The Sunday Gospel [December 12, 2010]
Mt 11:2-11
The Messengers from John the Baptist
2When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him 3with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 4Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. 6And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” 7As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. 9Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.’ 11Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Light and Hope in Troubled Times
The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of gladness and rejoicing because of the proximity of Christ’s birth. The spirit of Christ¬mas begins to fill the air as people look forward to the start of the revered Filipino tradition of Misa de Gallo. Still, our hearts are filled with a mixture of hopes and fears, of joy and sadness. We are participants, not mere spectators, in the battle between good and evil, between light and darkness.
John the Baptist, the voice in the wilderness, the voice of Advent, is being muffled. Herod Antipas has put him in prison because, true to his witness as prophet, he denounced Herod’s in¬¬ces¬tuous marriage to Hero¬dias.
Today’s Gospel suggests that John in his prison cell has heard reports about Jesus. He asks if Jesus is the Awaited One. Perhaps he himself is expecting a fiery figure.
To John’s messengers who query if he is the one who is to come, Jesus responds not with a yes or a no but with an allusion to Isaiah’s prophecy (Is 35:5-6, First Reading). Instead of talking about the fiery judgment of the expected Messiah, Jesus cites the restoration to wholeness of men and women—salvific signs that God is doing on behalf of humanity.
Despite John’s doubts about him and his works, Jesus praises his precursor. John is firm, quite unlike a reed in the wind that is all too easily swayed. He is dressed simply, unlike those with wealth and power.
As we anticipate the celebration of the Incarnation, let us take another look at the precursor. John is neither fuming about his stay in prison nor praying for deliverance. He receives news about Jesus and reflects on these. He shares with his disciples the meaning of all that he has heard. He patiently tries to discern if this Jesus is truly the Messiah. And when he receives Jesus’ reply, he spends more time pondering on what he has heard and seen.
Eugen Drewermann, a German priest and psychotherapist, muses: “Here is a man who tied himself to a way of hoping, a yearning for the future, and of proclaiming this future in the name of God, and then, when this promised future finally came, it looked completely different from what he expected. Indeed, it was hardly recognizable. This happens to us and our expectations, too. Do we have the power then to once again change ourselves, from law to grace, from morality to understanding, from human striving to simple being?… What John wanted comes to pass, but entirely from within. It is not whipped into being with the rod of fear; instead, it grows out of the power of a milder climate.”
Like John, instead of being dismayed by the situation in which we find ourselves, we could ponder on the meaning of our Lord Jesus Christ and the good news that he brings. Let us spend time questioning, listening, seeing, and remembering that Jesus, born in a manger, hanged on a cross, and risen from the dead, is alive and with our Father in heaven. God continues to rule our lives with mercy and justice, acting in his time according to his plan of salvation, despite appearances to the contrary, despite the horrors of our times. Let us act with faith, endure with hope, doing all with love. “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and late rains. You too must be patient” (Jas 5:7-8).
2When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him 3with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 4Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. 6And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” 7As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. 9Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.’ 11Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Light and Hope in Troubled Times
The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of gladness and rejoicing because of the proximity of Christ’s birth. The spirit of Christ¬mas begins to fill the air as people look forward to the start of the revered Filipino tradition of Misa de Gallo. Still, our hearts are filled with a mixture of hopes and fears, of joy and sadness. We are participants, not mere spectators, in the battle between good and evil, between light and darkness.
John the Baptist, the voice in the wilderness, the voice of Advent, is being muffled. Herod Antipas has put him in prison because, true to his witness as prophet, he denounced Herod’s in¬¬ces¬tuous marriage to Hero¬dias.
Today’s Gospel suggests that John in his prison cell has heard reports about Jesus. He asks if Jesus is the Awaited One. Perhaps he himself is expecting a fiery figure.
To John’s messengers who query if he is the one who is to come, Jesus responds not with a yes or a no but with an allusion to Isaiah’s prophecy (Is 35:5-6, First Reading). Instead of talking about the fiery judgment of the expected Messiah, Jesus cites the restoration to wholeness of men and women—salvific signs that God is doing on behalf of humanity.
Despite John’s doubts about him and his works, Jesus praises his precursor. John is firm, quite unlike a reed in the wind that is all too easily swayed. He is dressed simply, unlike those with wealth and power.
As we anticipate the celebration of the Incarnation, let us take another look at the precursor. John is neither fuming about his stay in prison nor praying for deliverance. He receives news about Jesus and reflects on these. He shares with his disciples the meaning of all that he has heard. He patiently tries to discern if this Jesus is truly the Messiah. And when he receives Jesus’ reply, he spends more time pondering on what he has heard and seen.
Eugen Drewermann, a German priest and psychotherapist, muses: “Here is a man who tied himself to a way of hoping, a yearning for the future, and of proclaiming this future in the name of God, and then, when this promised future finally came, it looked completely different from what he expected. Indeed, it was hardly recognizable. This happens to us and our expectations, too. Do we have the power then to once again change ourselves, from law to grace, from morality to understanding, from human striving to simple being?… What John wanted comes to pass, but entirely from within. It is not whipped into being with the rod of fear; instead, it grows out of the power of a milder climate.”
Like John, instead of being dismayed by the situation in which we find ourselves, we could ponder on the meaning of our Lord Jesus Christ and the good news that he brings. Let us spend time questioning, listening, seeing, and remembering that Jesus, born in a manger, hanged on a cross, and risen from the dead, is alive and with our Father in heaven. God continues to rule our lives with mercy and justice, acting in his time according to his plan of salvation, despite appearances to the contrary, despite the horrors of our times. Let us act with faith, endure with hope, doing all with love. “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and late rains. You too must be patient” (Jas 5:7-8).
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