Dear brothers and sisters, this third Sunday of Advent is also called “Gaudet Sunday”, which means “Sunday of Joy”. The word of God invites us to enter already into the joy of the birth of our Saviour. The Gospel of St. John on this 3rd Sunday of Advent shares with us the testimony of John the Baptist. I invite you to meditate on the figure of John the Baptist, and our mission or commitment as witnesses to Christ.
John the Baptist an essential witness of Christ:
As you may have noticed, there is a kind of paradox in today’s gospel. One might expect John the Baptist to speak much more openly about Christ the Saviour, but this is not the case. We find the word “witness” four times in the first three verses. John the Baptist will therefore give testimony to the Light for all to see. The strength of his testimony will be given by his words, but let us not forget that John the Baptist was a man described as a messenger of God. So, what does his testimony consist of?
The testimony of John the Baptist consists of answering six questions about his identity and his actions and in the light of that he testifies to Jesus as the light of the world.
The Levites and Priests asked him various questions. “Who are you? Are you Elijah? Are you the Prophet? So, what about you? What are you saying about yourself? Why do you baptize?” These questions allow John the Baptist to clarify the situation.
First of all, he answers the first question that he is not the Christ. He continues by indicating that he is neither the prophet Elijah nor the Prophet foretold. Finally, he indicates his identity or mission: “I am the voice of one crying in the desert: Straighten the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said”. Here, John the Baptist stands as the witness of Christ’s coming in continuity with the faith of the people of Israel. The Priests and the Levites are in turn questioned about their faith. Will they pursue their messianic hope by recognizing Christ as the fulfilment of the words of the Prophet Isaiah or will they turn blind eyes to him? To the sixth question Why do you baptize? John the Baptist answers that he baptizes in water, an answer that will later be completed with the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
We are called to witnesses of Christ thanks to our Baptism:
In the light of the testimony of John the Baptist, what does this gospel tells us about our attitude as witnesses? What is our posture of witness?
First of all, to be witnesses is to clothe oneself in humility. Bearing witness to Christ with humility like Jean the Baptist leads to a deeper and inner joy.
“Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them”. John 13: 16-17. We are a very beautiful beatitude to meditate on here.
Secondly, it is necessary to put on the garment of service. It is this profound attitude of service that can be understood through the testimony of John the Baptist. His mission was fundamentally to be at the service of the Lord.
Thirdly, it is very important be courageous and joyful witness to Christ and his Gospel. Our mission is to announce Jesus in words and actions and he will do the rest. John the Baptist was courageous enough to tell the Priest and Levites that “there is one among you whom you do not recognize”.
Are we ready to bear witness to our faith without shirking, in our family, with our friends, when the opportunity arises? It is not only the daring attitude that counts, but also the content of our communication, which must be about our faith in Jesus Christ who took our human flesh, shared our humanity and died for our salvation.
[Third Sunday of Advent B: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; I Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28]
[…] this day when we remember the Birth of John the Baptist, a few thoughts come to mind. First, he was a child of a promise from God, and second, his role in […]