3rd Sunday of Advent
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
OLR, NOLA
What
are we waiting for? Better yet: who
are we waiting for?
Of course, we're waiting for Christ. Born on Christmas and coming
again at the end of the age. We wait for both his birth and his
return. But waiting for his birth is the easier of the two b/c we
know the day and time of his arrival as an infant from Mary. When
will he come again? At the end of the age? We don't know. James says
to us, “Be patient, brothers and sisters. . .see how the farmer
waits. . .You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm. . .Do not
complain. . .Take as an example of hardship and patience. . .the
prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” Patience and hardship.
The example of the prophets. That's what we're to do while we wait.
Be patient. Endure hardship. Not exactly a cheery Advent message. But
probably one we can all stand to hear. John the Baptist, perhaps a
bit impatient himself, sends his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you
the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” And in his
usual way, Jesus gives an unexpected answer: “Go and tell John what
you hear and see. . .” Healing, raising the dead, freeing the
possessed, preaching to the poor. Is Jesus the Messiah you're looking
for? Or are you looking for, waiting for another?
Please
don't take offense at the question! I know it's weird to ask a church
filled with Catholics if they are looking for a Messiah other than
Jesus! But hear me out. The history of the Church is littered with
false Messiahs – self-appointed prophets, trendy gurus, and
unsavory saviors. And even when no one in the Church is publicly
chasing after a personality or a philosophy opposed to Christ, many
are still privately
putting something or someone on the altar of their heart. Someone or
something other than
Christ. Who or what
are these idols? You've heard them listed all before, no doubt –
money, stuff, power, sex, popularity, knowledge, all these things
that can be good. . .but they can never be God. None of these can
ever be the Messiah. Not your spouse, your children, your job, your
friends; not your pastor, your Pope, or your President. None of these
is the Christ. And the waiting of Advent, the patience and the
endurance of hardship, graces us with all that we need to see and
hear the Good News
that Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem to the virgin, Mary, is our
Savior and King. We are looking for and waiting for no other. Like
John the Baptist, we have found and been found by the Only Begotten
Son.
Having
found him and been found by him, we turn again to our waiting for him
to come again at the end of the age. Waiting around patiently and
enduring the hardship of living in this world may not seem worth the
wait. But if we truly
believe that he will
sit in judgment of our lives, separating the goats from the sheep,
and taking to himself all who remain in his love, then the choice to
endure is easy. Jesus asks those who went to listen to John: “What
did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then
what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing?” He
wants to know why they ran after the Baptist. What were they seeking?
“Then why did you go out?” he asks, “To see a prophet? Yes, I
tell you, and more than a prophet.” They went into the desert to
seek out the one who would herald the Christ. Why? Because they know
that the Christ will call the unrighteous to repentance and the
unjust to justice. He will suffer and die for their sins and see them
reconciled with the Father. And on the last day, he will sit as
Judge to weigh their convictions and dole out abundant mercy to all
who have confessed and turned to him. Whatever impatience makes us
angry or anxious or depressed, and whatever hardship we must endure
while waiting. . .we wait, and while we wait, we grow in holiness for
that last day, that last day before the judgment seat.
The
third Sunday of Advent is always called Gaudete
Sunday, Rejoice Sunday! All this waiting can be a bit wearing, so the
Church gives us one Sunday in the season to lift up our praise and
thanksgiving to God for His sending us His Son. This week – make
your daily prayer one of rejoicing, giving God thanks for the joy He
has brought into your life. Name those blessings. Count the gifts.
Raise each one up to Him and pledge its use to His greater glory.
Moms and dads, teach your children to give God thanks for you, for
their siblings, for their family and friends. Teach them true
humility before their Maker, and they will see the spiritual dangers
of pride and entitlement. And while we all wait, never forget: “Be
strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with
divine recompense he comes to save [us].”
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