First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a; 10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
Second Reading: James 5:7-10
Gospel: Matthew 11:52-11
Reflection Questions
1. Describe St. John the Baptist’s character: What made him so great in the eyes of Jesus? Why?
2. Jesus used His actions to prove His identity to St. John the Baptist’s disciples. How would you summarize Jesus’ actions in your life? What does this say about Who Jesus is to you?
Summary of the Gospel
Ever wanted to be 100% sure about something and continued to ask questions and get information, even when you already knew the answer deep-down inside? This is what we will read about this Sunday. The Church’s Gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent brings us back to the person of St. John the Baptist.
The story begins with St. John questioning the identity of Jesus: Is He really the One? We have to admit that St. John the Baptist’s issue in this passage is a bit puzzling given other Gospel verses about the relationship between Jesus and St. John the Baptist. We know that his ministry was dedicated to paving the way for the One Who was to come, the Messiah. We know that he baptized Jesus, and we know that the two of them were cousins (didn’t they talk?). St. John the Baptist might have asked the question for a few reasons: Perhaps he, being in prison, was under stress; perhaps he wanted some reassurance that his work was for something good and not in vain; perhaps he was asking it on behalf of his own disciples, so they would change their focus from him to Jesus.
Jesus answers St. John the Baptist’s disciples not by directly saying ‘yes’, but by referring them to the deeds He was been working. Jesus has shown to others that He is the Messiah by virtue of the good He has done. His actions can be simply summarized as miraculous and healing. As St. John the Baptist’s disciples were leaving Jesus, Jesus then paid him a great tribute, saying that not only was St. John the Baptist a prophet, but also as great in God’s eyes as any man who ever lived (yet, from a worldly standpoint, there has not been another person as low as he).
St. John the Baptist’s entire mission was to put the focus on Christ, and to call others to a life lived for Christ, a life lived in holiness, and a life lived in service of God’s Kingdom. You and I are called to be ‘St. John the Baptist’ in today’s world, living lives of holiness with our focus completely on Jesus Christ. Especially in the commercial Christmas season, it is easy for us to forget Christ. Christ wants us to be his ‘heralds’, announcing His coming to the world.
Our ‘world’ is simply where we find ourselves at each moment of our lives. Through our Baptism and Confirmation, we have been commissioned to take Christ to those who do not know Him. You and I are unique in God’s plan, in that God is completely dependant upon us to be His prophets (not because God is lacking in power, but because He has submitted Himself to our free will). May this time of preparing for Christmas be one of recommitting to Christ’s mission to make followers of all nations. You and I have a part to play in that plan. May we always be ready to gives our lives totally to Christ, always ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us.
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