Homily for 3d Sunday of Advent

Homily for the
3d Sunday of Advent

Dec. 14, 2025
Matt 11: 2-11
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

John's disciples visit him in prison

“Jesus said to them, ‘Go and tell them what you hear and see” (Matt 11: 4).

Scripture scholars debate why John the Baptist sent disciples to ask Jesus whether he was “the one who is to come” (11:3), i.e., whether he was the Messiah.  After all, according to St. John the Apostle’s Gospel, John the Baptist had long since pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

Some of John’s disciples, including St. Andrew, listened to him then and went to Jesus.  Evidently, not all of them did.  Historically, many people remained followers of John and his teaching well into the Christian era.

Therefore we speculate about John’s message to Jesus today.  Did John doubt Jesus because he wasn’t a fire-breathing prophet as John had been—recall last Sunday’s gospel (Matt 3:1-12)?

Another possibility is that John sent disciples to Jesus to try to open their eyes and ears to Jesus, to lead them to discern that Jesus was the Messiah whose coming John had been preparing the way for.

Jesus’ reply is that those disciples should tell John of the works he’s been doing, works that literally fulfill what Isaiah had prophesied:  “the eyes of the blind are opened, the ears of the deaf are cleared, the lame leap like stags, the tongues of the mute sing” (Is 35:5-6).  Jesus’ message isn’t fire and brimstone but hope and pardon—good news for anyone who will listen.

The Jubilee Year 2025 will conclude in less than a month.  Its theme has been “Pilgrims of hope.”  We’ve been invited to journey with Jesus and to find in him our hope for pardon from God, to find peace of heart, to find our way toward eternal life.  We’ve been invited to open our eyes and our ears and our souls to Jesus.

John the Baptist’s query to Jesus and Jesus’ answer are a challenge to us.  “Go and tell John what you see and hear.”  It’s been said that Mahatma Gandhi found Christ very appealing but was repelled by what he saw Christians doing in India.  In the 1960s, we used to sing a hymn in church called “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”  When our family members, our co-workers, our fellow parishioners, anybody on the street sees us—what do they see and hear?  Are we witnesses to the works of Jesus?  Are we women and men of integrity, of truth, of prayer, of fairness, of kindness, of joy, of chastity, of diligence, of patience with the faults of others and patience in other trials, of forgiveness, of respect for others’ feelings and reputation, of care for God’s creation?  Do we confess our sins and entrust ourselves to God’s mercy?  In short, do we present an image of Jesus for the world to see and hear?