ADVENT THIRD WEEK 24

3rd SUNDAY ADVENT, 15 DECEMBER 2024: ZEPH 3. 14-18a; PHIL 4. 4-7; LUKE 3. 10-18 Focus: Life is never free from fears and anxieties. There will be always something to worry and disturb us. But there is nothing to lose heart or be dissipated. The Lord is at hand. He will intervene 1. The recurrent theme of the holy Advent is, the Lord is coming; the Lord is at hand; the Lord is in your midst. 2. We hear in the first reading from Zephaniah 3. 14-18: The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. O Zion, the Lord, your God, is in your midst. The second reading from Philippians 4. 4-7 too assures us that the Lord is at hand. In the gospel too, John the Baptist preaches, saying, he who is mightier than I is coming. 3. But what does he do with his coming? What will happen if he comes? This question is very significant because many come into our lives and many go away from our life. And not all make a difference. 4. But, the Lord’s coming is crucial, because he makes a vital difference in our life. In the light of the word of God today in all the three readings, we get a clear picture of what the Lord does with his coming. 5. The Lord takes away the judgments against you, casts out your enemies. He is a warrior who gives victory. He will renew you in his love. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 6. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He will also call for a strict reckoning and judgment, for “winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”. 7. If this is what happens with the Lord’s coming and his presence, then what shall we do? What should be our response toward his coming? This is the question that was posed by the people to John the Baptist in response to his preaching: “What then shall we do?” and the fundamental response that is expected is Repentance. 8. But what is this repentance? How does it manifest itself? What are its ingredients and implications? We can gather some of them again from the readings. A few of these are made clear from John the Baptist’s answers. 9. Accordingly, these components comprise a spirit of sharing generously, rising above accumulation and greed; secondly, a spirit of fairness against extortion and deception; third, a spirit of equity and truthfulness against all violence, domination, or manipulation. 10. Still further, how to repent? How to change the course of life? Do not fear; fear evil no more; let not your hands grow weak. Rejoice and exult with all your heart; rejoice in the Lord always, in all the situations. 11. Persevere and let all know your forbearance. Have no anxiety about anything. But in everything pray and supplicate to God with thanksgiving and deep-rooted trust. 12. Besides these explicit ingredients and implications of a repentant heart and changed life, we can also draw two, three features from the example of John the Baptist himself. 13. His clarity about his identity: some were already beginning to believe that he was the awaited messiah, and he could easily project himself so and win popularity, but he knew that he was only the precursor of the Messiah; he had absolutely no over-ambition to rob off messiah’s role for his self-glory. What a contrast from our bundles of ego-projections and ego-promotions! 14. Another component is the utter humility of John the Baptist: I am not worthy even to untie thongs of his (messiah’s) sandals. Again what a contrast from many who get easily puffed up even by simple roles and ranks! 15. Another feature that characterizes him is his focused and undaunted commitment to his cause. No temptations for false identity or no pressures for self-glory would swerve him from his focus and loyalty. Direction: If we truly take to heart the coming of the Lord that he will stand by us, vindicate our cause and also give a just judgment and recompense, then there is nothing to fear. Let us then rejoice!