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Sts Joseph & Paul Catholic Church |
Homily Archives | |
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Third Sunday of
Advent – A As John the Baptist sat in prison, he sent word with the disciples of Jesus to ask him the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we be looking for another?” How could John the Baptist, one who had been filled with such certainty about who Jesus was, had proclaimed his coming, and even baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, now seem so uncertain about who Jesus is? Is John losing his faith? Is the hardship that he endures in prison causing him to doubt whether Jesus is really the Messiah? The question of John the Baptist must become our own question of Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we be looking for another?” In our heart of hearts, we know that Jesus is the one. He is the Messiah. We know that Jesus can see us through life’s challenges. But like John the Baptist, who sat in the difficulty of prison, we also experience hard times in life. Because we face dark times in life, we will, at times, doubt and question whether Jesus is really the Messiah. As we try to answer these questions, we will need to rely on what our faith tell us. We will need to refer to what the authorities of our faith tell us through creeds and the teachings of our Catholic faith, but we must also have a personal experience with Jesus and come to know him. The way that we form this personal relationship with Jesus is through spending time with him in prayer, being near him, and seeing him in others. Advent is a time for us to open our eyes, our minds, our hearts, to the living presence of Jesus in our world -- to see Jesus in the good actions of others, to feel Jesus in the holiness of others, and to experience Jesus in the forgiveness of others. When we see the presence of Jesus in our world, we experience the very love of God. We may wish to think about how we share the presence of Jesus with others.
Let me share with you an
Advent example of how one person was seen by another. Every evening after sundown, a priest walked through his neighborhood. As he walked, he reflected and observed the comings and goings of the neighbors. It was also the custom of the wealthy, who lived in the neighborhood, to hire watchmen to keep an eye on their properties. One evening after dark, the priest met one of the watchmen, and he asked the watchman for the name of his employer. The name was familiar. And the watchman assumed that the priest, too , worked for someone, and so the watchmen asked the priest who his employer was. This stopped the priest dead in his tracks, for the question hit him in the heart. For whom did he work? Wasn’t it obvious that he worked for God? Couldn’t the watchman see that Jesus was the reason that he lived? He was unsure how to reply, so the priest walked in silence with the watchman. Then the priest spoke up and said, “I’m not really sure that I work for anyone. I’m the priest at the local parish.” Then the priest asked the watchman, “Will you come and work for me?” “Of course,” the watchman said, to the priest. “What would I do for you?’ “I would just like to ask you to do one thing for me,” the priest said. “Remind me for whom I work; remind me that I work for God; remind me that I belong to his Son, Jesus. Remind me, always.” This Third Sunday of Advent is a time for us to consider how we are living in relationship to Jesus. The unconditional love of God comes to life when we show others who Jesus is. In order to show others who Jesus is, we may need to spend time with Jesus in prayer. This week, take some quality time in your preparation for Christmas and spend it with Jesus, so that when Jesus comes again, he will know who you are.
sdrose@bellsouth.net
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