Homily
for the
3d
Sunday of Advent
Dec. 17, 2023
John
1: 6-8, 19-28
Villa
Maria, Bronx
Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
“He was not
the light, but came to testify to the light” (John 1: 8).
We’ve begun the Year of Mark, whose Gospel will provide most of our Sunday gospel readings until next November. But from today till mid-January we have exceptions appropriate for the feasts we’re preparing for or celebrating. As you know, Mark says nothing about the birth or early life of Jesus.
Last week Mark
introduced us to John the Baptist, forerunner of the Lord. Today we hear St. John’s introduction to the
Baptist—with its themes of light, testimony, and preparation. At the Christmas season we celebrate light,
hanging lights outside, placing lights in our windows, draping lights around
Christmas trees, perhaps planting a star atop the tree. Light has come into the world in the person
of Jesus Christ, God’s own light: Light
from Light, as we profess in the Creed.
John the
Baptist, last of the prophets whom God sent to Israel, came to testify to the
Light coming into the world, the one who would conquer darkness. John came to bear witness, to point out, to
prepare his listeners to hear and believe the true Word of God.
John testified
to the Light by calling for people to repent—to recognize the darkness in their
hearts, to welcome the light of God’s mercy, and to change their behavior from
self-centeredness to concern for one another.
John testified to the Light by pointing out Christ when he appeared and
directing his disciples toward Christ.
John testified to the Light by acknowledging his own lowly role—to be a
voice and not the Word itself: “I am not
the Christ; I am not Elijah; I am not the Prophet. I am the voice of one crying out in the
desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord’” (John 1:20-21,23). His role is to be only the servant, less than
a servant, unworthy even of loosening the Savior’s sandals.
This was, in
fact, John’s greatness: to know his own
part in God’s plan of salvation and to carry out that part faithfully.
That part
isn’t John’s alone. Every Christian has
the same great role: to testify to the
Light, to bear witness to Christ, to be a lowly servant of Christ our Master. Just 4 days ago Pope Francis emphasized that
every baptized person is called to witness and announce the Gospel to all
peoples.[1] When people—our families, our neighbors, our
co-workers, people we meet in the supermarket or the park or on vacation—see us
and hear us, they ought to see a reflection of Christ, hear an echo of the
Divine Word who is Christ.
How do we fill that role? By keeping God’s commandments, by setting
good example to our children and grandchildren, by practicing patience, by
being kind and compassionate, by forgiving insults and injuries, by being
truthful and honest, by bringing our Christian principles into public life in
our schools, communities, and elections.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
tells us, “You are the light of the world,” and our light has to be set up where
it can be seen and give light to everything around us. “Your light must shine so that others may see
your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matt 5:14-16). Like John the Baptist, we’ve been chosen by
God, sent from God, to testify to the Light who is Christ our Lord (cf. John
1:6-8).
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