By Martin Jumbam
The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, December 15, 2013, as the third Sunday of Advent, Year A. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near. Amen.”
The figure of John the Baptist, in Matthew’s Gospel reading, and the prophecies of Isaiah, in the first reading, dominate the Advent season. The theme of the new exodus is found in Isaiah’s reading in which the prophet gazes along the path the returning exiles take to return to Jerusalem. God does not only bring them back to Zion, he ensures that they find physical and spiritual healing. In the second reading Saint James attacks worldly standards that endanger community harmony, especially unbridled quest for wealth. He says that we should not lose hope but remain patient in anticipation of our Lord’s coming. In Matthew’s Gospel, we hear echoes of the first reading message, which is that our God is a saving God, a healing God, who comes to save and build up, not to condemn and destroy. The Gospel asks the question fundamental to all Christians: who is Jesus? In the course of this Eucharist, let us pray for the grace to follow Christ more closely so we can come to know him better.
First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6, 10.
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the lily it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not! Behold your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
V/ The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.
Comment
In today’s first reading, the prophet Isaiah, the prophet of the Advent season, celebrates Zion, the holy city, waiting with open arms to receive the returnees from exile. God, who manifested his presence and protection during the exodus, when Israel came out of Egypt, will do so again in wonderful ways as the redeemed flock back home to Zion. He will give them a highway and be with them in a sort of solemn procession to where he dwells.
Today’s passage says that God is coming to save us, his people. The prophet gazes along the path the returning people of Israel will take on their return to Jerusalem. The thousands of miles of desert will once more bloom with luxuriant vegetation – Carmel and Sharon are symbols of fertility and beauty. But more than the effect on the desert vegetation, it is the people themselves who are touched by the coming God. The blind are able to see, the deaf can hear and the lame can leap God will not only eliminate the barrenness from the land, he will also eliminate diseases and render his people whole again. This will mark the joyous return of the liberated Israelites through the transformed desert of Syria to Zion.
What is this passage telling me? It tells me that our God is a saving God, a healing God, who comes to save and build up, not to condemn and destroy. The promises found in this wonderful passage began to be accomplished with the coming of Jesus Christ, but they have to be completed by his disciples. The sign of the coming of the kingdom of God will be the victory over every form of disease, physical or spiritual, over all forms of slavery and over all inhuman situations. By transforming suffering into joy and turning death into life, Jesus shows us that his coming is the beginning of the new world announced by the prophets.
Saint Justin says that “Christ is the stream of living water that flows from God; he sprang up in the desert wastes of ignorance of God; that is, in the parched earth of all the nations. He who was born among your people, cured those who were blind from birth, and the deaf and the lame. By his word alone, they leapt and heard and saw once more. He raised the dead and gave them new life, and by all his good works prompted men to see him for who he is.”
Let us rejoice this day for our Lord is coming to thwart human vanity and prove how faithful he is to the lowly. Let us pray,“All-powerful and living God, renew us by the coming of your Son and free us from the slavery of sin. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
Second Reading: James 5:7-10.
Be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors. As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
V/ The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.
Comment
The author of this letter calls himself “James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:1). He is thought to be James a relative of Christ who, after the resurrection (1 Cor 15:7) was a leading figure in the Jerusalem church. He is thought to have been the first bishop of Jerusalem where not only Jews but also Gentile converts came to worship in the temple.
He addressed his letter to the twelve tribes of the dispersion: that is, those living outside the Holy Land. His letter contains a number of ideas based on OT wisdom teaching, which is presented as something to guide us and help us to face the difficulties of life. “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life” (3:13). Just as wisdom is seen in the order of creation (Gn 1: 1-31) so can our lives be orderly if we use God’s wisdom: in being able to control the tongue, in humbling ourselves before God and controlling our passions.
Wisdom helps us to see life in its true perspective: life is short; life is in the hands of God, and riches do not last forever. James seeks throughout his letter to encourage his readers to be “doers of the word of God.” A true Christian life, James says, shines out in unselfish consideration of others. He attacks worldly standards, which endanger community harmony, reserving special indictment against the wealthy. A faith that does not operate in love is a faith that is useless and dead. Christians are therefore called to charity and social justice.
In today’s passage, James appeals for patience. Patience flows from hope and forms the foundation of endurance. In a continent like ours that experiences much suffering, the concerns in James’ letter are very much ours as well: how to endure suffering and trials in life, what causes wars, the patience needed in times of trials and temptations. The teaching that good works are the proof of every true and genuine faith in God, is a very useful principle which can motivate and promote ecumenical and inter-religious activities in Africa. In harmony with the Advent season, James gives the reason for inspiring hope, patience and endurance: the Lord is coming soon.
Let us pray this day for patience, hope and endurance and let us not lose heart, for our Lord is coming. “Almighty Father, give us the joy of your love to prepare the way for Christ our Lord. Help us to serve you and one another. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11.
In those days, when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offence at me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? Why then did you go out? To see a man dressed in soft robes? Behold, those who wear soft robes are in kings’ houses. Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you. Among those born of woman there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.’
V/ The Gospel of the Lord.
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Comment
The Gospel of this day is inviting us to imitate the commitment of John the Baptist. As Christ himself tells us “history has not known a man born of woman greater than John the Baptist.” Last Sunday, we heard John’s voice crying from the wilderness about the one who was to come. This Sunday, we hear John’s voice questioning from prison if Jesus is the one. John has openly denounced Herod for divorcing his own wife and marrying his brother, Philip’s wife, Herodias. King Herod, who is nervous about political unrest and anxious about his own appointment by the Romans, has had John thrown into prison.
From prison John sends his own disciples to Jesus to find out if he is the one the prophecy has spoken about? Is he the one who is to come, or have the people to wait for someone else? John is confused.
John had earlier spoken of the one to come as a strict judge who would bring fiery judgement on his enemies. He saw him as an angry, impatient man from whom people would have to flee. That must be the image John has of the Messiah but what does he hear? He hears that Jesus is healing the sick, blessing the gentle and the peacemakers, telling people that they must not judge each other but rather love even their enemies. Jesus’ Messiahship therefore seems a world away from that imagined by John.
When John’s disciples do come, Jesus does not say to them: “Of course, I am the one!” No, he simply tells them to pay attention to what is happening around them: the afflicted are healed, the dead are raised to new life, and the good news is preached to the poor. This is the messianic age portrayed by the prophet Isaiah centuries before Christ. It is an age of healing. In Jesus, the prophecy of Isaiah finds its fulfillment.
In his beautiful book, Harden Not Your Hearts, Cameroonian Jesuit Priest Stephen Kizito Forbi, says that John’s role is to point out the Advent, that is the coming of the Christ. For the past over two thousand years that we have been celebrating Christmas, John has been pointing to Jesus each year. For the past over two thousand years, many Christians have swayed and bent but John has remained unchanging, steadfast in his conviction. He did not change before Herod and that is what landed him in jail. He is firm, ascetic and committed to his belief. He is a man of discipline. Today, continues Father Kizito, we live in a world full of Christians who are ready to give up their religion at the least inconvenience. But to be a good Christian, we need to be disciplined and committed to Christ, like John was.
Jesus describes John as the greatest man ever born of woman. John is the greatest of all prophets because he has the unique opportunity and privilege to present the Son of God to the world. To be a follower of Jesus Christ, we must do like John the Baptist: present him to the world, beginning with our own families.
During this season of Advent, we prepare others and ourselves for the coming of our Saviour. We will please our Lord if we use Advent to copy John’s discipline, honesty and humility. If we imitate John the Baptist, Father Kizito advises, we will meet Christ at Christmas not only in the image and likeness of God but also in the image and likeness the greatest man born of a woman.
In advent we are like John, waiting for the coming of the Lord. The sure signs of God’s presence among us are not primarily material but rather spiritual: the blind see, the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the lame walk. Let us pray to be like John the Baptist so we too can point the way to salvation to those around us, especially those in our immediate family who, for one reason or another, might have fallen on the wayside in their faith. Amen.
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