Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent
If you are given an opportunity to ask Jesus one question, what would you ask him?
– You might ask a personal question: Why is this happening to me?
– Or a theological question: Why did you have to die on the cross?
– Or a question about the future: When will my troubles come to an end?
– Or a question about your direction in life: How do I know I am on the right path?
If you are given an opportunity to ask Jesus one question. What would that question be?
John the Baptist was given an opportunity to ask Jesus one question. From inside a prison, he sent two of his followers to Jesus to ask this: “Are you the one?” “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Mt 11: 2-11)
This might be the best question. If Jesus is not the one, there is no point in asking any of the other questions.
Buried in John’s question might have been a hundred other questions. Are you the one for whom I preached repentance? Are you the one for whom I proclaimed the truth? Are you the one for whom I am in prison? Are you the one for whom I am going to die? John is not going to ask any of those other questions. He needs to know right now, “Are you the one that fulfills all of the promises? Are you the one who will set captives free?” Tell me, Jesus, because I am in prison and beginning to have some doubts. If you are the one, then my life is complete. If not, I need to move on.”
There is an answer to this question of John, and maybe all of the other questions. The answer doesn’t come directly from the mouth of Jesus, but from two inspired words of Saint James: “Be patient.” (Jas 5:7)
Imagine how John the Baptist would hear these words, be patient. He waits for his execution. He asks, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” The answer he hears is simple: be patient. The words themselves convey a sense of trust, faith, even hope. Be patient. ~
We don’t like ‘be patient’ as an answer. We want something more definitive, more direct, and more immediate. “Be patient” is hardly an answer at all!
Why don’t we accept ‘be patient’ as an answer? One reason is doubt. We doubt that Jesus is the one. When we doubt, we go search for another. That search leads us astray, far from the life of God, into the barren desert of our own making. Knowing the doubt of the people prompts Jesus to ask: “What did you go into the desert to see?” A wavering reed. A man in fine clothes.
Here are a few suggestions for this Advent. Instead of making a hasty buying decision, be patient. Instead of saying something you might regret, be patient. Instead of seeking an easy way out of a problem, be patient. Instead of trying to do too much at one time, be patient.
John the Baptist asked Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Jesus didn’t provide an answer. He said, “Go and tell John what you see and hear.” To be patient means waiting for God to open our eyes so that we may see correctly. To be patient means waiting for God to open our ears so that we may hear correctly.
Let’s conclude with a little prayer:
Jesus, open my eyes so I may see what you would have me see.
Open my ears so I may hear what you would have me hear.
Give strength to my legs so I may walk the path you have laid out before me.
Cleanse me from my imperfections so I may live without shame or guilt.
Raise me from death to a newness of life.
Rescue me from my poverty.
Jesus, grant me the grace to be patient
as I wait for your coming into my life and into the world.