Third Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2020

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Gospel:: John 1: 6–8, 19–28

Theme: How does my life testify to the presence of God in our midst?

John 1:6–8, 19–28

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”

Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.

Companions for the Journey

From “First Impressions,” a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

How would you summarize Advent?—Hope? Waiting? Longing? Expectation? On the first Sunday of Advent we heard the prophet Isaiah pray, “Return for the sake of your servants…rend the heavens and come down.” We heard Jesus advise his disciples, “Be watchful! Be alert!” On the second Sunday Peter warned, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief…” And, “…we await a new heavens and a new earth.” John the Baptist announced, “One mightier than I is coming…” The first two weeks certainly had us looking and waiting for God to act. This Sunday has a bit more action in it—human action—as various people hear the call of God and do something.

The pattern today seems to be a “call—response” dynamic. Isaiah tells us about his anointing by God’s Spirit. That is just part of Isaiah’s experience with God. God’s blessing on Isaiah isn’t just for his own inspiration and edification, for God has sent him, he tells us, to bring “glad tidings to the poor.” God has a purpose, has work to be done and Isaiah is the instrument who will accomplish God’s purposes. Isaiah was sent to the nations, especially those eager to hear that God was coming to help them. Ours might not be such a broad or universal call. Nevertheless, like Isaiah, each baptized Christian has been called by name to proclaim, through words and deeds, “glad tidings” to those waiting in need of it. While we may admire the gifts and service other servants of God have, we have been uniquely gifted ourselves for service in God’s name. Each of us has our call; we have something to do—what is it?

In our psalm response, Mary proclaims God’s greatness—for though she is “lowly,” the Spirit of God has come upon her for a special mission. While she will give birth to the savior, even before this happens, she is already responding to her call as she opens her mouth and announces what God has done for her and will do for the poor who have turned to God for help. When the Spirit of God comes upon someone, like Isaiah and Mary, they cannot keep the news of God’s goodness to themselves, they must go and proclaim it to others. Which is what people in our parishes do. They have heard a call from God; they have been “anointed to bring glad tidings to the poor,” and so they do. They minister to the grieving; proclaim the scriptures in the assembly; sit with the dying and comfort their families; take the Eucharist to the aged and infirm; legislate on behalf of the homeless; serve on community boards for the homeless; teach good environmental practices to school children, etc. “Bringing glad tidings to the poor,” has as many faces as the members of our faith communities who have been baptized and anointed by the Spirit to fulfill God’s good work on earth.

“Hear ye, hear ye!” It’s the way trials begin here in the States. An officer of the court calls those assembled in the court room to attention and announces the arrival of the judge. The trial is beginning. John’s gospel has a similar beginning for very early we are introduced to John the Baptist. He was already well known by those early hearers of his gospel; his birth had been described by Luke and the three Synoptics describe his early preaching and baptizing mission. In fact, John was so renowned that some saw him as a greater prophet than Jesus. So, John the evangelist introduces us to the Baptist and clearly delineates his role: first by a series of “nots.” He is “not the Christ…not Elijah…not the Prophet.” John may have been immensely popular among those who heard and followed him, but he was only a precursor, anointed by God for his specific task: he was to announce Jesus’ coming.

At the end of this gospel Jesus will be put on trial, found guilty and executed. But this gospel shows us that we humans are really the ones on trial. The trial has begun and the first witness, John the Baptist, has been called forth to give witness to Jesus, who will describe himself in this gospel as “the way, the truth and the life.” John is just the first to come forward to bear witness to Jesus—more will follow. In particular, Jesus’ signs will testify to his identity: he will provide food for the hungry, he is the living bread; he will give water to those who thirst, he is living water; he will raise Lazarus from the dead, he is life itself; he will open the eyes of the blind, he is the light of the world. Indeed, Jesus will tell those who confront him for one of the signs he performed, the curing of the cripple man on the sabbath, that his works show that “the Father has sent me…and gives testimony on my behalf” (5, 37). God also bears witness to us about Jesus.

Those who hear this gospel and give ear to these witnesses will have to decide: is Jesus the One on whom we will place our faith? Will we follow him and reject what will not satisfy our hunger or quench our thirst for life—as Jesus does? If a trial has begun and witnesses are being called, then we being asked to make a decision: shall we accept what this gospel will say about Jesus? If so, how will it affect our lives? Of course, if we profess our faith in Christ by accepting the witnesses in John’s gospel, then we too will become another in the unbroken line of witnesses since John the Baptist. How we act…what we say…who we are…will either give witness to Jesus or deny him. People will draw their own conclusions about us: “Yes, that person is a true follower of Jesus, their life gives clear witness to him.” In the light of the witness theme which runs through John’s gospel, it is obvious that those who accept the testimony of the witnesses, must also live a public life of faith. Christianity is not a private religion, kept to oneself, but each of us must live up to the identity our baptism has given us as “lights of the world”.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • Have I ever deflected attention from myself and my accomplishments in order to emphasize the accomplishments or efforts of another?
    When could this be false humility and when could it be the honest and gracious thing to do?
  • What is your greatest cause for joy? How do you share your joy with others?
  • “You say you are Christians. Where the hell is your joy?” (Bertrand Russell)
    How do we reflect the joy of the Incarnation to others around us?
  • What is the difference between joy and happiness?
  • Has there ever been a time when an insignificant moment (in the eyes of others) actually meant a lot to you?
  • Has there been a prophet in your life? How has his/her advice affected your life?
  • How does John help me to introduce Jesus to others in the wilderness of this pandemic?
  • How are we called to be prophets for the kingdom?
  • Who have I been anointed to bring glad tidings to in my life?
  • From Jude Siciliano, O.P., in “First Impressions”:
    Advent is a time for dreaming big dreams, and so we ask ourselves:
    How does my life proclaim the greatness of God?
    How can I share the goodness of God with others, especially the most needy?
  • From Paul Gallagher, OFM, in “First Impressions”:
    Who are the people who confuse you? Do you like to know who people are complicated or hard to understand?
    Does it bother you when people act out of character from what you expect?
    Are you ever tempted, or feel a pull, to respond to a person or a situation that is different than the way you normally would?
    Do you usually follow that urge? Are you generally pleased with the way you respond to those urges? Do you think those urges might be from God?
    Who have been the people in your life who have been the most effective in asking you to reflect on the way you live?
    What meaning does your Baptism have for how you live your life?
  • From Barbara Reid, O.P., in America magazine:
    How would you answer the question, “Who are you?” Would others say the same about you if they were asked?
    How do you recognize the One in our midst and point out that divine presence for others?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Thomistic Style/Asking Questions:

God rejoices. Not because the problems of the world have been solved, not because human pain and suffering have come to an end, or because thousands of people have been converted and are now praising him for his goodness. No, God rejoices because one of his children has been lost and been found.

—Henri Nouwen

God is continually offering us the opportunity to rejoice with him at his holy banquet, if only we can tear ourselves away from our miserable and self-absorbed table for one. What in my life distracts me from being joyful in the Lord?

  1. Too much work or too much responsibility? No one has ever been heard to say on his deathbed: “I wish I spent more time at the office.”
  2. Worry? Yet we know that worry about the future doesn’t change it one bit.
  3. Lack of belief that God is really calling you? The scriptures are full of instances where God says: “I have chosen you. I call you by name. You are mine.”
  4. In despair over the state our country and our world is in? Most of us ignore the little subtle signs that God is at work in the world.

In short, we all have a choice to stay rooted in fear, anger or sadness or to let go and let the Spirit take us where She will. True joy rises out of the lightness of soul we experience then we let God be in control. Ultimately, God will love us no matter what we choose. Doesn’t THAT bring you joy?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

From Sacred Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

In prayer today, I walk with John in the desert. I let him ask me: “Who are you?” Can I express my relationship with Jesus with John’s conviction and integrity? And finally I pray: “Lord, I long to hear your healing voice. Give me a firm belief that you are always inviting me to share in your mission”.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Read Psalm 100 in light of the Isaiah passage. All too often, religious people are found to be without joy or humor or understanding. These people replace joy with judgment, replace humor with grim devotion to duty or rules, replace understanding with rigidity and spiritual arrogance. Find someone whom you admire for her joy as well as for her goodness, and go for a cup of coffee to see what makes her tick. Or, read something about someone whose humility gave him the perspective to experience true joy—say, C.S. Lewis, or Henri Nouwen, or Tony DeMello, S.J.

Poetic Reflection:

Read this poem by the monk Thomas Merton. Then give yourself some time in silence to reflect on the question “Who are you?” during the quiet days of Advent:

”In Silence”

Be still
Listen to the stones of the wall.
Be silent, they try
To speak your

Name.
Listen
To the living walls.
Who are you?
Who Are you? Whose
Silence are you?

Who (be quiet)
Are you (as these stones
Are quiet). So not
Think of what you are
Still less of What you may one day be
Rather
Be what you are (but who?) be
The unthinkable one
You do not know

O be still, while
you are still alive
And all things live around you
Speaking (I do not hear)
To your own being,
Speaking by the Unknown
That is in you and in themselves.

“I will try, like them
To be my own silence:
And this is difficult. The whole
World is secretly on fire. The stones
Burn, even the stones
They burn me. How can a man be still or
Listen to all things burning? How can he dare
To sit with them when
All their silence
Is on fire?”

Poetic Reflection:

Read the following poem and ask yourself what you are choosing for this holiday season:

“The Winter Journey of Advent”

In this time of darkness,
We choose to look toward the Light.
In this time when so many suffer,
We choose faith, not despair:
We choose the work of compassionate justice.

As we move through Advent together,
Hungry for transformation, for hope,
Our steps themselves
Transform us, nourish us.
We are on constant pilgrimage,
Moving to the heart of things,
Reaching beyond what any one of us
Can reach alone.

The brightness of the Incarnation
Guides us as we continue,
With the promise of the Prince of Peace
As the bright star in these dark nights.

—by Jane Deren, Education for Justice (from “First Impressions”)

Closing Prayer

This is the Latin version of the Magnificat from the opening prayer:

Magnificat anima mea Dominum;
Et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo,
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae;
ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, et sanctum nomen ejus,
Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam brachio suo;
Dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis, et divites dimisit inanes.
Sucepit Israel, puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae,
Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini ejus in saecula.