In the gospel reading for the third Sunday of Advent, the imprisoned John the Baptist asks the most heart-breaking question in the bible and asks it for all of us: ‘Are you the one … or must we wait for someone else?When this inquiry is conveyed to Jesus, the Lord does not respond theoretically, but rather by pointing to things that are happening, namely, God’s grace is making people whole again. “Go tell John what you see and hear.”
When I was serving as a priest in the Diocese of Colorado, I had the gift of learning from my Bishop, Bill Frey. I will never forget how often he would proclaim:
“Hope is the song of the future and faith is the courage to dance to its melody today.”
This is simply what Jesus says to John the Baptist and to us. He is asking us to look and to listen to concrete events. Jesus is effecting something. Something is happening in Jesus. Exactly what Isaiah 35 says will happen when the Messiah come. The Desert is Blooming!
Suddenly things are happening. We can see and hear the effects of Jesus in the world. He is the One who is with us in all of the joys and sorrows of our lives. We are never alone.
With you and the Journey and the Way,
Rob+
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS