Third Sunday of Advent, December 12, 2021
/What we should do to prepare for the coming of the kingdom
Luke 3:10–18
And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”
He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do? He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.
John answered them all, saying: “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.
Music Meditations
- Gaudete
- Make the Kingdom Come
- The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor
- Wait for the Lord (Taizé)
- Creator of the Stars of Night (Harvard University Choir)
Opening Prayer
—James Weaver, et al. At Home with the Word, 2007: Sunday Scriptures and Scripture Insights. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2006, page 12.
Companions for the Journey
From First Impressions, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:
John the Baptist is clearly connected to the long prophetic tradition. Luke raises up John as a link between the Hebrew prophets and Jesus. He’s of the priestly family, yet he wears the camel’s hair and leather belt of the prophet, reminiscent of Elijah. He denies his own importance, claiming he is just a voice. As we saw last week, (the 2nd Sunday in Advent) he is a link between Isaiah and Jesus. He is popular among the masses and Jesus extols him as the greatest “among those born of women” (7:28). John is a strong, critical voice against the indulgences of the current society and he calls for a radical change by all, especially those who wield influence. After a preaching characterized by scathing criticism and a call to reform, he is still described by Luke today as preaching, “the good news to the people,” for he is painting the arrival of the Messiah who will initiate a new reign where the people will be forgiven, healed and saved. John the Baptist, the stern and uncompromising preacher, challenges our superficial attempts at change and helps us go deeper. Only the coming of our God can free us from what enslaves us, can drive out the all-pervasive darkness that touches even the deepest crevices of our lives and bring to bear the longed-for salvation. John’s voice in Advent is urgent, for he also sees God breaking into human history with judgment for those who, for so long, had violated the covenant. Last week he warned that what is crooked must be made straight; what is rough smooth. This making right of our lives is how we are to prepare for God’s arrival.
It’s customary for us to look to Jesus’ more soothing style and gentle ways. We would quickly, perhaps too quickly, brush John off the Advent stage. But in this liturgical year we can’t do that so easily since he appears in the selections from Luke on two of these four Advent Sundays. There he is, shaking us out of our complacency. He forces us to look at our self-satisfaction and false securities. Where have we placed our security; on what are we relying? We live in an age of genocide, ethnic purgings and starvation for many of the world’s peoples. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has us despairing that there will ever be peace in the Holy Land. Meanwhile, for the few and privileged, there is opulence, technological wizardry, indulgence and cravings that are showing themselves once again during the shopping season.
John the Baptist was very rooted in the prophetic tradition which sees Yahweh as the source of our hope. John, the Gospel tells us, was “sent from God” (John 1:6). God sees the people’s need and comes to rescue them. We have reason to hope and look forward eagerly to our redemption, because God is reliable, ever faithful to us. The description of God’s coming is disturbing because John says God’s advent will be with judging fire. God will come judging and healing.
There is a mighty One coming, John tells us, and there are preparations for his arrival. The Advent readings do not advocate a mere posture of waiting. Rather, our work is to repent. This repentance in not a private or internal affair only. Today, John tells the crowd to share their coats and food; he tells tax collectors not to cheat on what they collect and soldiers not to do violence. Repentance was a call to return to being a covenanted people, this would make “the rough ways smooth” (2nd Sunday of Advent). The One coming will proclaim the reign of God, a community living together under God’s rule of peace, justice and in harmonious living. To prepare we need to straighten out our lives.
Taking John’s cues we can say that simply living honest lives is a good start. We look to our relationships and our responsibilities: ruptures are to be mended; frictions addressed; family responsibilities faced; work done honestly; employees treated justly. Start where you are, John says. Our domestic and social houses are to be put in order. The One who is coming will speak on God’s behalf, the God who said in Isaiah (61:8), “For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrong.” John’s Advent voice is a one of sobriety that runs counter to the intoxicating voices around us. He calls for rectitude and social consciousness; while the malls are staying open later to feed our endless thirst for consumption. However, John isn’t just negating everything and sounding doom. After addressing the consciences of hearers, after challenging them to broaden their awareness to include the poor (share cloak, and food he tells them); after telling soldiers to be fair and not extort those over whom they have power; after calling his listeners to life-altering changes, his listeners are not discouraged or gloomy. Rather, they are “filled with expectation.” Something good is about to happen to them, and it is so good they can stop clutching possessions to themselves, they can stop manipulating things to go there way. One is coming who will bring them their deepest desires, quench their thirst for fulfillment. We read the prophets’ pointing to a time of fulfillment. And we see Christ as that fulfillment. But we need to be careful and read the historical fulfillment in Christ with sensitivity. For Christ himself points to a future for us, Israel, the church and the entire world—a future when all shall be complete.
John calls his hearers to common sense change. Anna Quindlen is a Pulitzer Prize author, and writes a biweekly column in Newsweek magazine. She has a new book (A Short Guide to a Happy Life) in which she doesn’t address people’s finances and careers, her usual writing domain. Rather, while respecting people’s need to work, develop their careers and put food on the table, she reminds her readers that a career is not our identity. She calls for developing meaningful relationships. She understands that many people must work two or three jobs for survival but, she says, there are a lot of people of comfortable means who have made work their identity and let their family relationships and friendships suffer as a consequence. She warns that one day these people are going to look up and notice that their lives are empty and significant people are nowhere to be found. I hear in such modern voices a warning similar to the one John addresses to his hearers. Look at your lives. What must be changed so as to put first things first?
We also remember that we look on Advent from the vantage of our Easter faith, lest we miss, with the disciples, the significance of Christ’s simple birth and his words and actions. We celebrate his birth knowing how the story will end; God has been faithful and has kept promises. But the first part of the season is about preparation. We focus, with the guidance of Luke, on the second coming of Christ. The Hebrew prophets prepare us over years of human history for the coming of the Christ. But Luke tells us, when Christ returns, it will be without warning. The Christ we are being prepared to meet, the one for whom we long, will come in fullness at the second advent, and we keep vigilance, holding the promises and faithfully living out of our hope, so that we will be ready when he returns.
Weekly Memorization
Taken from the gospel for today’s session…
Teacher, what should we do?
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
- Is there anything in John’s message that is difficult for you?
- John pointed beyond himself, to Jesus. Does my life and do my actions point to Jesus or to something else?
How do I co-operate with Jesus in the coming of the Kingdom? - What does my lifestyle say about my beliefs?
- What matters more for you—right religion (or any other affinity group, including family) or right action?
- In what way are we still waiting for Jesus?
Have we lost our sense of expectation? - Am I asked to give up everything I love, everything I do, everything I have, to welcome Jesus?
If not, what AM I asked to do? - “Stop collecting more than required” —What do I have that is in excess of what I need?
- Am I satisfied with what I have right now? What do I still need? What can I share of my goods and talents?
- How generous am I, really?
- What is the role of Justice in an authentic spiritual life?
- What do I need to do to live an authentic spiritual life?
What do I need to do to be ready for Christ?
What behaviors must I choose to meet Jesus?
What will it cost me? - Where does Joy fit in our lives? In my life?
What is the result for me of experiencing joy?
Meditations
A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Raising Questions:
There is clever saying I read on a t-shirt once: “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” In this pre-Christmas time of the year, we certainly look busy with end of quarter exams, buying and wrapping of Christmas gifts, sending Christmas cards, visiting family members and friends, hosting or attending parties and other entertainments, travelling, and so on. And yet we know that in this season of getting and spending, John’s message to get busy preparing for the Lord is often lost. The small gestures of kindness are lost. The small gestures of generosity to those who could use a helping hand are lost. The plight of the really poor and suffering in our own community is lost. “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise. Stop collecting more than what is prescribed” (read: what you really need). How do you balance practicality with the radical change in attitude that John is calling for?
A Meditation the the Augustinian Style/Relationship:
Read this responsorial for this week from Isaiah 12, and write your own letter of praise, speaking directly to God:
God indeed is my salvation; I am confident and unafraid. For the LORD is my strength and my might, and he has been my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the fountains of salvation, And you will say on that day: give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. Sing praise to the LORD for he has done glorious things; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, City of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!
A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:
I read the section from John’s gospel where the five thousand are fed:
After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what he was going to do. Philip answered, “Two hundred silver pieces wouldn’t be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece.” One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted. When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted.” They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves.
Now imagine that you are the little boy who was in the crowd that day. Why are you there, and alone? Did your mom pack you a little lunch to take on your adventure to see this famous preacher? Were you surprised by the size of the crowd? Did people start to get restless because it was time to eat and nobody was stopping to do so? Did others bring picnics with them as well? When you heard the conversation among the men around Jesus about there not being enough to feed everyone, did you volunteer to share your lunch with whoever needed it? Did you suffer a little pang when he took your entire lunch and gave it to Jesus? How did you feel when you saw that Jesus used your little offering to feed everyone? Did others volunteer their lunches as well? What did you learn about generosity and the risks and rewards of sharing?
For those of us reading this advent gospel in which John tells us that we best prepare for the coming of the kingdom by prying our little fingers off some of the goods and money we have, there is a familiar but daunting message, Familiar, because we see the same phenomenon throughout the gospels—the poor widow who gives all, the rich man who shared nothing with Lazarus, the practical disciple who says feeding all these people would be way too expensive. Daunting, because Jesus deliberately chose not to provide for all without the cooperation of that little boy and his generosity. Jesus is working though us as well. How generous am I? What risks to my financial security am I willing to take to help others? How much is enough?
Poetic Reflection:
How does the poem from Mary Oliver capture the message of John the Baptist about what it means to prepare for God’s coming into our lives?
“Making the House Ready for the Lord”
Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice—it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances—but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.
Literary Reflection:
This Sunday has been, in the past, called Gaudete Sunday; Gaudete means rejoice. What is there to rejoice about in our lives? Look more closely:
“Gaudete”
Because Christmas is almost here Because dancing fits so well with music Because inside baby clothes are miracles. Gaudete Because some people love you Because of chocolate Because pain does not last forever Because Santa Claus is coming. Gaudete Because of laughter Because there really are angels Because your fingers fit your hands Because forgiveness is yours for the asking Because of children Because of parents. Gaudete Because the blind see. And the lame walk. Gaudete Because lepers are clean And the deaf hear. Gaudete Because the dead will live again And there is good news for the poor. Gaudete Because of Christmas Because of Jesus You rejoice.
—by Brad Reynolds, S.J.
Closing Prayer
Adapted from “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits:
Lord, I pray for an awareness of the calmness and greatness of your presence. Grant me greater sense of freedom from my own fears and expectations, from my list of “oughts” and “shoulds”, so that I may be open to the possibilities for growth, service and generosity that you put before me. Help me to spend time in awareness of your love and care so that I may hear your call.
