December 11, 2022, Third Sunday of Advent (Year A)

Today we see how the Lord fulfills the hopes of many as foretold in the scriptures and how He brings joy to the world. First we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 35:1-6a,10) who preached to the people at the time of the Babylonian exile. He promised that their homeland would be renewed with all of the splendor of its prewar blessings.

The wilderness will once more bloom with the beauty it held before the ravages of war. Isaiah says, “It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise” (Isa. 35:2a). He challenges the people to put aside their fear and weakness, “feeble hands and weak knees” (Isa. 35:3). He tells them to be brave and have courage because God, Himself will bring retribution to their captors as they return to the land that God had promised them.

Not only will they be able to return to their homeland away from strange and hostile foreigners, but they will also enjoy freedom from a number of physical handicaps. Their blind eyes will once again see, and the deaf will hear. While the lame will walk and the speechless resume their ability to talk. They shall be redeemed by the Lord and return to Jerusalem, while their lives return to freedom, peace, and joy.

Now, as the history of Israel continues, these exiles return to their homeland and the peacefulness promised by God through Isaiah. Yet they once again fall victim to mighty new world empires, like Greece and Rome, that had emerged during the latter days of the pre-Christian era. Israel once again suffers desolation and despair under the influence of these enemies.

They look again to the words of Isaiah for comfort. Words that promised a redeemer from the line of David would come to rescue them. He would be born as a special child who, when grown, would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). During the first century AD, their expectations ran high for this savior to emerge due to the preaching of another prophet called John the Baptist. He announced that the time had come for repentance because the kingdom of God was at hand.

But even John himself knew not the exact time of arrival of this Messiah nor what actions he would take. He remembered baptizing someone who a distant voice had identified as the “Son of God.” But he wasn’t sure if this man could be the Messiah. He was just a distant cousin, a simple man from Nazareth. Definitely not a powerful warrior or mighty king as one would suspect.

Now, in the Gospel (Mt. 11:2-11), when John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod, he had heard about the works of Christ, but was unable to see them. Thus, he had to rely on the witness of others. So, he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Mt. 11:3). Jesus gave them a summary of the miracles that he had worked. They sounded very similar to the ones preached by Isaiah years before. The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, and the poor have the gospel preached to them (Mt. 11:5a). Blessed were they who followed and believed in Jesus.

Jesus then addresses the crowd, quizzing them about the identification of John the Baptist. He asks them what did they go out to see in the desert. Certainly not reeds being swayed in the wind for a man dressed in soft garments as a king. Jesus tells them they saw someone who was even beyond the piousness of a prophet. That John the Baptist was the one whom Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, had predicted would precede the one to bring in the new and final age. He was the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah.

The denunciation of John the Baptist and Jesus by so many of the people of their day to whom they preached provides a parallel or model for contemporary Christians and their increasing rejection of Jesus, especially during Advent. One might wonder what type of message is received at this time of year with all of the commercialism that is shown.

Is it the excitement of shopping for gifts amidst the holiday sales? Is it the wonder of the lights on a grandly decorated home? Is it the tall tree in the foyer with all of its garland and colored ornaments? Is it the glittery wreath decorated so precisely? Or is it a rather large man in a red suit with a white beard? It might be some or all of these in one way or another.

But most importantly, is it the loving friends and relatives we surround ourselves with? Is it the donations we make for those less fortunate than us? Is it the time we spend in Church thanking God for all of our good gifts? Or is it the creche, the manger scene with the Blessed Virgin Mary, her husband Joseph, and the tiny infant lying on a bale of hay among the animals?

Some people call it the reason for the season.