Third Sunday of Advent: B: December 17, 2023

 REJOICE! THE LORD IS COMING

First Reading: Isaiah 61: 1-2 and 10-11

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

Gospel Reading: John 1: 6-8 and 19-28

   *First reading is from the book of  Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah announces that he has been anointed by the Lord God and he is being sent to bring good news to the poor. He conveys a message of great hope to all those who live in despair and hopelessness. It is the Spirit of God who is present in us that enables us to carry the message of salvation to the poor. At the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus quotes this passage from Isaiah to announce the programme of His ministry.

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. Paul urges the Christian community at Thessalonika and all of us that we should always rejoice and pray constantly. We should show our gratitude to God for all the gifts and blessings we have received from Him. We should never despise the spiritual gifts but be earnest in doing good and avoiding evil. In this way we ought to live as we wait for the second coming of the Lord. 

John the Baptist: A witness to the Light                                                                 Today's Gospel reading is from St. John. We meet John the Baptist who makes it abundantly clear that he is not the Messiah. John bore witness to the Light. That Light is Jesus Christ. But what a wonderful witness John is. He witnesses not only with his words but especially through his deeds and a life of total renunciation. When the Light finally appears, John is quite content to fade away from the scene and allows Jesus to take over. This indeed is a wonderful way of witnessing. Today for many people, Christ has become a very dim and distant figure. He is being constantly overshadowed by the powerful electronic media, man's greed and a world constantly projecting itself and slowly making God some kind of an appendix. The words of John the Baptist are very much true today. "There stands one among you whom you don't know." Prophet Isaiah had told long ago, "The Lord has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and to open the prison to those who are bound". This prophecy of Isaiah can become  a reality only when  we become effective witnesses of Christ the Light. Hence, the third week of Advent invites us to be witnesses of Christ the Lord. 

"The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes can see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent;  life is recognizing the coming of the Lord." - Henri Nouwen