Called to be heralds of God's Presence (Jn 1:6-8,19-28)

Called to be Heralds of God's Presence

Is 61:1-2a,10-11; 1 Thes 5:16-24; Jn 1:6-8,19-28

Jesus quoted the passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. The passage begins: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God”. 

We cry out to God for help when we suffer a crisis or a traumatic event. In the same way, many people all over the world are in continual crisis calling out to God. such as people who are oppressed, people who try to bring their children up in neighborhoods where crime and drugs rule, people who are physically or mentally challenged, people who suffer pain afflicted upon them by an unfaithful spouse, a dishonest business partner or a wayward adult child, people who are hungry for food that cannot be found or who need medicine for their children that they cannot afford. How many times do these people cry out to God? 

John the Baptist was sent to give testimony. The word testimony in the original Greek is marturios, martyr. He was the first Apostle and Martyr. He was the first one sent to proclaim the presence of the Christ. He was the first one to give testimony to the Truth of Christ. He paid with his life for his testimony to Truth. We are called to be like John the Baptist giving witness to the presence of Christ. The world deeply needs our witness to Christ. For many people Christmas has become a pagan celebration. Materialism is their god. They refer to Christmas as the gifting season or fat season with foods. They reject Christ and contort Christmas into a celebration of materialism. But they need the Messiah, where can they find him? The world that has rejected Jesus Christ needs witnesses to his presence. The world needs new John the Baptists to point to Jesus. 

We are called to be these witnesses. We are called to stand up before friends, families, working companions, or maybe just that idle acquaintance and say, “For me, the Life of Christ is more important than anything the world can offer.” If this reality is present in the core of our being, the Holy Spirit within us will convince others of the truth of our witness. We are the new heralds of the Kingdom. We are sent by God. We are the new apostles. We are the new witnesses. We are the new martyrs. We are the new John the Baptists. We have a responsibility to the world around us to reflect the presence of Christ. Like that of organizations such as Catholic Relief Services or charities throughout the world, proclaim the presence of God in the charitable works with a far greater efficacy then preaching only with words. So many people are hurting. So many people are searching for some sort of meaning to the madness of life. They need us to be heralds of God's presence. 

The third Sunday of Advent is also called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete, a Latin word which means “rejoice,” is taken from the entrance antiphon for Sunday’s Mass. This theme is echoed in today’s second reading from the first Letter to the Thessalonians. It is a reminder that Advent is a season of joy because our salvation is already at hand. We are called upon to assume the role of John the Baptist, proclaiming a new way of life, a new kingdom.