Joy

3rd Sunday of Advent (A)

John the Baptist visited by Salome in Prison by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri

While in prison, John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah. John the Baptist was the one who first recognized the Messiah, when the Holy Spirit came on Jesus in his baptism. Is John now doubting?

This is unlikely, and John asks the question more for his followers than for himself, so that they might come to see what he already knows: Jesus is the Messiah, and through him the signs of the Kingdom are being revealed. John is helping his own disciples recognize that he is “decreasing” and passing away, while Jesus whom they must now follow, is “increasing” (cf. Jn 3:30).

Nevertheless, even though John does not doubt the Lord (his faith is strong), the news from Jesus is a consolation and confirmation for him in his time of trial (hope needs encouragement). Shortly after the baptism of Jesus, John was arrested for having spoken against king Herod’s unlawful marriage to Herodias, his sister-in-law. At the very high point of his life’s mission, which was to “prepare the way of the Lord,” John was taken away from his mission. At the very moment of welcoming the groom for the wedding, he the best man could not participate in the celebration, due to his arrest. The suffering of this imprisonment must have been profound; the darkness, the sadness, the regret.

The message sent to him by Jesus is a confirmation of his life, and a source of profound peace that enables John to accept his situation as part of God’s plan. He who witnessed publicly to thousands of people through fiery preaching now witnesses in obscurity, in silent pain and suffering.

We might tend to think that the greatest glory of John the Baptist’s life was the day he Baptized Jesus and pointed him out as the Messiah: “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Yet Jesus speaks of him as being a great saint, “among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11), now in the context of imprisonment and impending martyrdom.

The lives of John the Baptist and other saints reveals how the experience of darkness is a necessary part of holiness. The fact is, our life is darkness without God’s grace, and this is condition of man born in Original Sin. In order to avoid this, people seek consolation in the distractions of worldly pleasures. But this is a false and superficial joy. True joy is that which is not overcome by the experience of the dungeon, but overcomes it. With the message of encouragement and hope that John received in prison (Mt 11:4), his heart was filled with Joy, and he was at Peace.

True Joy is unlike earthly joy, which is merely a distraction. True Joy is the light that shines in the darkness. Christians therefore celebrate Christ’s coming in December, the darkest and coldest time of the year.

In our parish [and every parish] there are a large number of homebound parishioners, who due to the debilitation of old age or sickness are not able to get out and go to church. Many of these parishioners were here every Sunday, they were once very active, serving in many capacities. Now they are almost forgotten, and their contact with the outside world is increasingly limited. They are imprisoned, like John.

Like John, they undergo the trial of questioning the meaning of this isolation, and strive to accept it humbly according to God’s will. It is incumbent on the church to visit these imprisoned, with the Advent message of hope; to let them know that the Kingdom of God flourishes, and that their silent witness contributes to that flourishing. That in fact, their prayer and sacrifice is an indispensible source of the fruitfulness of parish life. God sees the hidden witness and character of those who suffer in this way, and accepts their martyrdom as a pleasing gift.

In our lives when we experience times of discouragement, depression, and darkness, let us not lose hope but rather ask the Lord for a sign of encouragement, so that even then we might be at peace, filled with joy.