3rd Sunday Advent: Mission Accomplished

12-04-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

Mt 11:2-11

Leaders come and go. Elected political leaders serve a term and literally have to court voters from where comes their mandate. In some dioceses, church leaders: Priests or Pastors - after the period of their assignment are reassigned to another parish - they also come and go.

Whatever length of the tenure of office, there is a saying: one period is too short for a good leader and too long for a bad one. There are many examples of leaders holding on to their position and power; and do not want to relinquish it – until the ugly side of power manifest. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. When this happens, the people the leaders wish to serve are the most affected and fall victim to tyranny. Herod the Great and his successors have all succumbed to the folly of too much power.

The Gospel tells us that John the Baptist finds himself imprisoned. I wonder if John, like many people under a dictator, also felt helpless and powerless. John was unsure if Jesus was the awaited Messiah, vested with the power to set Israel free and perhaps himself. He sent his disciples to Jesus to ask: If He was the one or if they should wait for another. Before John’s imprisonment, he resonated in his message: I announced your coming, I emphasized to the people that You would rescue them from their powerlessness, that You would be the new leader. Now, are You? Or aren’t you? If you are, then get me out of this jail.

Jesus did not answer John directly, but His work is a sign of the presence of God in the Messiah. In the Old Testament, the Messiah would come with these enabling signs - the blinds see, cripples walk, lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead raised to life, and the good news proclaimed to the poor. John receives the message from Jesus and is assured that he fulfilled his mission; to prepare the way of the Lord. More than our words, it is our deeds that show our love for God and our neighbor. The Gospel reminds us to practice enabling others - like Jesus. We are all recipients of help from our parents, our siblings, our elders, our teachers, and other mentors in our lives. Let us recall the happy memories with all of them, thank them, and tell them how proud we are for being recipients of their enabling. Indeed, the wise saying holds true: A tree is known by its fruits.

The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday which signifies joy and hope. Today we replaced the liturgical color violet with rose, which stands for lightness and brightness. Let the light of Christmas shine on us as we enter the second half of our preparation for the birth of our Savior. Let not the rush and dash, the stress, and the financial element of the Christmas season deprive us of peace and happiness in this most beautiful time of the year. Let not the darkness in our midst or the sparkle of the Christmas lights; make us lose our focus on the Christmas candle glow. In the thick of the glitter and the flashbulbs - please don’t forget the candle glow. One thing to remember this year’s advent season, the Valley of the Sun is experiencing early cold weather – it feels like Christmas already.

Jesus says of John the Baptist: Among those born of women, there has been none greater than John the Baptist. John was a remarkable person who pointed to Someone far superior to himself, and he lived for something greater than his personal agenda. From the beginning, John knows his identity and mission, a herald, the best man, and Jesus is the groom. He
rejoices on hearing the voice of the bridegroom. He
must increase; I must decrease. (Jn. 3:30) John did not
have any false ambitions - after accomplishing his
mission, he willingly entrusts his fate to God. He humbly accomplished his mission to prepare the way of the Lord.

Mary, fill our hearts with joy and charity for others.