Weekly HOMILY for December 15, 2013: 3rd Sunday of Advent, Cycle A -- Are You a Follower of John or Jesus?

PODCAST - Press sideways triangle below to listen

or click here if there is no triangle
In 2014, I am facilitating a 12-week interactive online course in contemplative prayer and action for priests with Saint Luke Institute.  Please visit SLIconnect.org to learn more:  https://www.sliconnect.org/product/living-god-program-contemplative-life-2/

3^rd Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner, South Carolina

December 15, 2013

Are You a Follower of John or Jesus?

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato

 

John the Baptist

Back in the first century in Palestine, there is a man named John the Baptist.

John is a fiery preacher.  People like his talk about God’s consuming wrath. 

They figure that God’s wrath will come down heavy on the Romans who are occupying their country and oppressing them.  They want the Romans to get their just desserts and John seems to be saying that God will take vengeance on them.

John points to Jesus as the one who will lead his people in all of this.  He refers to Jesus as “one more powerful than I.”

Jesus

Jesus has listened to John and even been baptized by him.

But then, Jesus goes in a completely different direction.  He doesn’t talk about wrath or about God as punishing or vengeful.

Instead, Jesus introduces a whole new language about God and our relationship with God.  He speaks in terms of love, compassion and mercy.

Jesus even speaks about the forgiveness of enemies.  He speaks of union with God and with one another and not of division.

Jesus emphasizes that God comes to us as a savior from what oppresses the human spirit.  He does not speak of God in political or military terms.

Jesus replaces John’s austere life in the desert with a lifestyle centered on meals.  He replaces John’s good guy/bad guy, insider/outsider mentality with an approach that is open to everyone.

Jesus doesn’t push away or condemn people.  He eats dinner with those looked down upon and labeled as sinners and he converses with these people about the deep issues of life.

And beyond all this, Jesus does something that John he Baptist never does.  He heals people.

Jesus brings healing and wholeness wherever possible.  And his physical healings, while real, seem to point to something deeper – to the healing of the deepest hungers and hurts of the human spirit.

And very remarkably, Jesus directs a lot of his attention to the lost and the last and the least of society.  And that includes women and children.

A Revolution

That is the background to today’s gospel.

This is why John sends some of his followers to ask Jesus: “Um, are you really the One we’ve been waiting for?  You’re looking pretty different from what we expected.”

Jesus responds by going back to Isaiah, to what we heard in our first reading.  He knows that Isaiah gives the true, the accurate idea of what this Savior from God is to do, and he knows that this is revolutionary.

So Jesus says: “Tell John what’s happening.  The blind now see a vision and purpose and meaning for their lives.

“The deaf now hear a message of unconditional acceptance and self-worth.  The lame are now able to walk through the challenging bumps of life.

“Those as good as dead are now alive and have something to live for.  And the poor now have their deepest hunger satisfied.”

So what he’s telling John is that a revolution is taking place.  He is bringing a whole new understanding of God and our relationship with God.

The Revolution Continues

And I would add that Jesus’ revolution continues and must continue.

Why?  Because some still hang on to John the Baptist and his understanding and expectations. 

Some see faith as a checklist of truths that have to be assented to.  They miss faith as an alive, personal relationship with Jesus.

Some see Church as a club with members, with the importance of determining who’s in and who’s out.  They miss Church as a community of persons who can be at different places in their journey with the Lord, a community where there can be unity without complete uniformity.

Some see God as judging, punishing, and condemning those who don’t measure up for this or that reason.  They miss God as revealed by Jesus as not just reaching out, but as being with and accepting those whom we may think are doing wrong.

Conclusion

Maybe it all boils down to this.  We need The Joy of the Gospel.  That’s what Pope Francis is talking about in a recent and very refreshing document.

Francis has expressed the revolutionary way of understanding God and us that Jesus presents on this Third Sunday of Advent.  He calls us to embrace this more fully.

And my bet is, if we do, then the One whose coming into the world we will celebrate at Christmas will come more fully in our world.  He will again have impact beyond our wildest imagination.