3rd Sunday of Advent Year C 2021

 

3rd. Sunday of Advent, Year (C) 2021 

(Zephaniah 3:14-18; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18)

 

Large crowds of people used to go to John the Baptist for his blessing by the river Jordan; they went because they thought he might be Israel’s expected Messiah; and even if he were not the Messiah, they were convinced that he – man of God that he most certainly was -- could show them the true way to God; indeed, that he could and would tell them what was God’s will for each of them.

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  (Luke 3:7)

In the countryside, whenever there was a brush fire, vipers could be seen scurrying as best they could to avoid the flames.  If you remember, St. Paul was bitten by such a serpent escaping from the fire lit by those who, along with Paul, had just escaped from cold ocean waters after being shipwrecked near Malta.

            Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

John meant that in the sense of, “Don’t think you can just come here and be baptised by me and then you will have nothing more to worry about.”

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’  For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.  The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 

Let us wonder at this situation, People of God, because we do not see the like today.   Scripture told us of crowds of people going to ask John the Baptist the way to God; people well aware that they themselves did not know that way, people who suspected that they had long been walking away from God and, indeed, often offending Him by their sins.  They had been brought to that admission by the grace of the Holy Spirit, Who, having brought them thus low in their own pride and self-esteem, had then been able to set them out on the right path by sending them to the prophet of God, John the Baptist, for guidance and help.

Today, on the other hand, in our very modern world and society, we are surrounded by a people very high in their own pride and self-esteem and extremely low in their esteem of God, if, indeed, they concede that there is a God at all.  And yet, although being apparently so sceptical of all things pertaining to religion, many of them are very superstitious and easily concerned or even frightened about what they think might be ghosts, destiny, unlucky, or cursed!  There are some, however, such as some film or TV stars, being very much aware of and concerned about their public image and not wanting to seem easily frightened, show themselves to be much more foolish by ‘messing around’ with powers far beyond them, indulging their dangerous curiosity by malpractices such as consulting Ouija boards for answers!!

And, even in our own midst, we still have some people calling themselves Catholics who rarely attend mass yet like to display their imagined piety by unmerited communion: people who, in their particular trials and difficulties might, of course, turn to their associates, neighbours, or current friends, seeking worldly help or sentimental comfort, but would never dream of asking a priest concerning the Church’s teaching.  Indeed, dear People of God, all of us are, in some measure, members of a religious community, the Catholic Church -- the most ancient and divinely endowed Christian body -- which apparently never publicly considers that sins (ours among them) may well have incurred the punishment of the covid pandemic and its subsequent developments, despite the fact that Scripture repeatedly tells of such a price being demanded of the People of God in times past. 

I wonder what words John the Baptist might have used to describe all such people or such attitudes?  They would, without doubt, have been very colourful, for the image of vipers wriggling in the dust for their very lives before the advancing brush fire is remarkable.

Anyhow, we can see clearly that John had no time for people who came just to be baptized by him, and then were not prepared to do anything more; John demanded that anyone seeking to profit from his baptism had themselves to produce acceptable fruit.

The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Now, can you imagine anything less being demanded today of those seeking God’s grace through Jesus’ sacraments? 

As Catholic Christians we are called to seek the Lord at all times indeed, but even more so now that Mother Church is subject to so much open scrutiny, mockery and hostility, let alone active persecution.  We have to seek His face by sincere endeavours to grow in His love and walk in His ways that we might also thereby be able to proclaim His great goodness to all around us, for God does, indeed, show us great mercy and respect:  those turning to John were driven, yes driven, by fear of what was approaching, whereas we, on the other hand, God wants to draw us to Himself by gratitude:

The Lord has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy.  The Lord, the King of Israel, is in your midst; never again will you fear any harm.  The Lord your God is in your midst, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you. 

Oh, how great are the blessings we, who have been called to the Faith, have received!  We are in the Church, members of that Body of which Christ Jesus Himself is the Head and whose life is the Holy Spirit of love and truth.  That Body which St. Paul exhorts to:

            Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  The Lord is near!

Yes, dear People of God, the Risen Lord is in our midst!  He graciously comes to be with us whenever we gather together in His Name as His Church, and He comes in our midst that He might draw us to Himself, and with Himself, to His Father.  He comes offering us a share in His own heavenly life when He allows us to obediently approach Him in Holy Communion.  He condescends to thus give Himself to us that He might, by His Spirit, make us more and more like Himself, living members of His Body, His witnesses before the world; that we might hand down not just -- as many people seek today -- a purer atmosphere to subsequent generations, but rather, through the Gospel of glory-to-God-and-goodwill-to-all-mankind, the very breath of eternal life.

In this respect, dear People of God, recall the saints of Mother Church, do read something of their lives, and you will learn what wonders God has done and will do for those who turn whole-heartedly to Him in their needs, and even more to those who open wide their hearts in and for love of Him.  Think of Fatima, when the world’s newspapers told of the miracles of Mary, and photographed the sun dancing in the heavens!!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we should not, therefore, come to Church on Sunday in any measure depressed at our loneliness among men and women of today.  We have many dear friends in heaven, and have every reason to come ‘to enter the courts of the Lord’ with humble confidence and sure hope, presenting ourselves before Him with great gratitude as His servants and children wanting and willing to learn and to love, to obey and to delight in, His will for us today and for our world in its future needs. Each of us is called, encouraged and urged, to allow ourselves to be gradually renewed interiorly, by constantly seeking the face of the Lord, asking and longing, seeking and praying, to know His truth and recognize His beauty ever more surely, to respond to His will for us ever more whole-heartedly.  Since so much has already been given to us, we cannot merely offer that pseudo-fruit of the ‘never causing anybody any harm’ type; we are called to become Christ-like: children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, humble and gratefully committed instruments of the Holy Spirit.  As such, we will most perfectly exemplify those words we heard earlier from Saint Paul:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.