A Voice Crying Out
The Third Sunday of Advent
Today’s Readings: Is 35:1-6a, 10; Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10; Jas 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11
In today’s Gospel, we see the interaction between John the Baptist and Jesus. John, who is imprisoned by King Herod, sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one who is to come or if they should expect another. Jesus responds by telling them to go back to John and tell him what they have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised. He also tells them that the poor have good news preached to them.
These words of Jesus reveal the nature and purpose of his ministry. They show us that the kingdom of God is not just a matter of words but of deeds. It is not just a matter of beliefs but of actions. It is not just a matter of faith but of works. As St. James says in his epistle, "faith without works is dead."
The kingdom of God is a kingdom of mercy and compassion, of healing and hope. It is a kingdom of light and life, of joy and peace. And it is a kingdom of justice and righteousness, of fairness and equality.
The miracles that Jesus performs are not just signs and wonders, but they are also symbols of the transformation that the kingdom of God brings into our lives. They represent the renewal and revival that the gospel brings to our hearts and minds.
In the same way, the preaching of the good news to the poor is not just a matter of words but of deeds. It is not just a matter of preaching but of living. It is not just a matter of teaching but of witnessing.
As Catholics, we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are called to be the leaven that raises the dough and the yeast that ferments the wine. We are called to be the servants of all and the witnesses of the gospel.
But how can we do this? How can we be the salt and the light, the leaven and the yeast, the servants and the witnesses of the gospel? The answer is simple but not easy. The answer is love.
As St. John tells us, "God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." And as St. Paul reminds us, "love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
This is the love that Jesus showed us. This is the love that he preached and taught, the love that he lived and died for. This is the love that he calls us to follow and imitate, the love that he offers us as his gift and grace.
But this love is not just a feeling or an emotion. It is not just a sentiment or a passion. It is a way of life, a way of being, a way of seeing. It is the way of the kingdom of God. And this way of love is not easy, my dear brothers and sisters. It is not easy, because it goes against our natural tendencies and our worldly desires. It is not easy, because it requires us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross daily. It is not easy, because it challenges us to confront our fears and our doubts, our sins and our shortcomings. It is not easy, because it asks us to trust in God and to have faith in his plan for us.
But this way of love is also not impossible, my dear brothers and sisters. It is not impossible, because it is not our own strength or our own wisdom that enables us to follow it. It is not impossible, because it is the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live it. It is not impossible, because it is the love of Christ and the fellowship of the Church that sustains us in it.
This way of love is also not meaningless or useless, my dear brothers and sisters. It is not meaningless or useless, because it is not just a personal or a private pursuit. It is not meaningless or useless, because it has a profound and a lasting impact on the world around us. It is not meaningless or useless, because it is the way of the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God is not a utopian dream, but a concrete and a real reality.
This way of love is also not without rewards or without joy, my dear brothers and sisters. It is not without rewards or without joy, because it is not a burden or a punishment, but a privilege and a blessing. It is not without rewards or without joy, because it is not a solitary or a lonely journey, but a communal and a fellowship adventure. It is not without rewards or without joy, because it is the way of the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God is not a dull or a monotonous existence, but a vibrant and a dynamic experience.
This is the way of love that Jesus calls us to follow and imitate, my dear brothers and sisters. This is the way of love that he offers us as his gift and grace. May we embrace it with gratitude and with humility, with courage and with determination, with faith and with hope. Amen.