11/12/2022
Homily 3rd Sunday Advent C 2022 - Fr Jeremiah Browne (National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies )
A while back there was a story about a lady who had been searching for the perfect birthday card for her husband. Eventually, she came across one that looked promising. On the outside it read: “Sweetheart, you’re the answer to my prayers.” When she opened the card to see what was written inside it said “You’re not what I prayed for, exactly, but apparently you are the answer.” I’m guessing that for all of us, there are times when our prayers are not always answered in the way we expect.
In a strange way, something like that was probably running through the mind of John the Baptist as he sat there in his prison cell, when he heard about what Jesus was doing.
He was probably thinking to himself “You’re not exactly what I hoped and prayed for, but apparently you are the answer!”
John and his people had hoped and prayed for many years for the Messiah, the one anointed by God. For many, the expectation was that the messiah would lead the nation, he would be the one to help defeat the occupying forces, conquer the enemies of the land, establish a great Kingdom, and usher in an era of peace and prosperity.
Jesus, it seems, didn’t quite fit the profile of John’s messianic hopes. We can hear the disappointment in John’s question to Jesus when he sends his disciples to Jesus to ask “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11: 2-11). He had been hearing about Jesus and his ministry, and it didn’t quite gel with his understanding of who the messiah would be.
Jesus’ response is simple. He doesn’t try to defend himself, or offer intellectual proof why he is the messiah, rather he points to the undeniable things that are happening in his ministry; the blind can see, the lame can walk, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news brought to them.” In other words, he invites John, and us, to see the role of the messiah in a new way; to see that the messiah’s role is not limited to human political constructs that reflect the limitations of human thinking, but instead to see the messiah with eyes of faith; faith that has eyes to see a greater future for humanity; faith that understands that our destiny is not limited to the whims of some political leader, but rather, is linked to the diving life that God has shared with us.
Could it be that the journey that John had to undertake, of letting go of his limited expectations of God, is a journey that we need to make also.
All of us have expectations of God, expectations that are shaped by our past, by our religious and family upbringing, expectations that we express in our prayers, in the hopes that they contain.
Maybe you have prayed for a job that didn’t materialise; maybe the spouse you hoped for didn’t come along; maybe your children disappointed you, or children were never God’s gift to you; maybe a family member got ill and never recovered, despite your ardent prayer; maybe a trusted relationship was betrayed; maybe you have found yourself questioning how God could let these things happen, or why God didn’t intervene in the way you requested.
In those circumstances we can feel very much like John the Baptist. We can ask Christ, “Is this really what it is to have faith? Are you sure that you are the Lord? Do I need to look for another? Do I need to look elsewhere for hope?
Jesus in his own patient way responds, “Yes, this is what it is to be a child of God. This is what it is to share God’s divine life. Don’t be overwhelmed by the struggles you encounter, don’t let the prayers that are seemingly unanswered rob you of seeing God’s hand at work in your life in different ways.
Jesus says to us, like he said to John the Baptist, look also for the good that is still happening in your life. Blessed are you, if you can see the moments of new life – in the midst of the struggle. Blessed are you if you can see that not all of your expectations have to be fulfilled in order for you know happiness.
The good news that this Gospel offers us is that God comes to us. God comes to us in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, even if the events in our life don’t turn out the way we were expecting.
Could it be that this question of John the Baptist to Jesus, and Jesus’ response, is asking us to let go of our limited thinking, to let go of the things that we cannot have, and claim the good things in our life that are ours already. If we can do that, if we can claim the blessings that God has indeed given us, we will recognise the Christ. And if we find Christ, we will understand life in a new way, a way that leads to gratitude - and with gratitude comes joy.
So this week, as we take time to ponder on this word of God, let us take time to reflect on our expectations of God, and how we limit God’s activity in our life; and perhaps sometimes how our expectations can lead to despair rather than to joy, because we focus only on the negative. Let us pray for the grace to see new life, in every situation that we find ourselves in, as we welcome the messiah and give thanks to God for all that God continues to do for us.
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