Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 15, 2019 - 3rd Sunday of Advent - A
[Isa 35:1-6a, 10; Jas 5:7-10; Matt 11:2-11]Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. [Isaiah] "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Go tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." [Matthew]
The disciples of John the Baptist are asking a crucial question. Their question could be ours as well. Is Jesus the fulfillment of God's promise, or shall we look for another? Jesus replies with a list of his deeds that strongly resembles the list in the prophecy of Isaiah - a list the disciples of John the Baptist (and the audience for the Gospel According to Matthew and future readers) would be familiar with. He tells those disciples to go and tell John "what you see and hear." He also tells them that "blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."
We celebrate today the third Sunday of Advent, which tradition calls "Gaudete Sunday" (Rejoice Sunday). What do we have to rejoice about? For some, the religious aspect of the "holiday season" is, in Scrooge's words, "Bah! Humbug!" For others, the faith is there, but hope is hard to find because of various losses: health, employment, relationships, violence, poverty, addictions - the list could be a long one. What can we, as disciples of Jesus, do to proclaim to those in sorrow words and deeds that will give them hope and an experience of God's love - something to "rejoice" about?
The familiar nativity scene is not simply a reaffirmation of what took place in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. It is the a challenge that Jesus would put into words later on: "Go and tell what you see and hear! Do not be discouraged by those who take offense at me!" If we are to sing, "Joy to the world...." we have to put skin on that joy and make it real so that those who encounter us will have good reason to rejoice. AMEN