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| Phillipe de Champaigne |
Readings Isaiah 61:1-2,10-11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8,19-28
“My soul glorifies the Lord,/ my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.” These words of Mary’s canticle (Luke 1:46-54) are the responsorial psalm for the Third Sunday of Advent that celebrates the task of proclaiming the Lord’s salvific work. Like John the Baptist in John’s Gospel, we Christians are called to witness to the light, Jesus God’s incarnate Son, and to rejoice in his presence without claiming any exalted status for ourselves.
The first reading is the commissioning of the anonymous prophet whom scholars call Third Isaiah. In the opening verses, he is anointed to bring good news to the discouraged exiles who have just returned from Babylon. They are the `anawim, the poor of Yahweh, who are totally dependent upon God for their justice. In Isa 61:3-9, which are not included in our reading, the prophet announces a glorious future for the returnees. With the help of strangers and foreigners, they will rebuild the ancient ruins of Jerusalem. Instead of the shame and degradation of exile, they will experience the Lord’s justice when they become priests in the midst of the world’s nations who now honor and acknowledge them as a nation blessed by the Lord.
In the last two verses of our reading the prophet sings a psalm of thanksgiving rejoicing for restored Zion, now “wrapped in the mantle of justice,/ like a bridegroom adored with a diadem,/ like a bride bedecked with her jewels.” With unassailable confidence, the prophet announces that the Lord God will cause “justice” and “praise” to spring up like plants from the earth.
The second reading is from the conclusion of 1 Thessalonians in which Paul addresses the Thessalonian Christians’ anxiety over a number of problems connected with the delay of Jesus’ expected return in glory. Some were anxious that those who had died would not participate in the general resurrection at Jesus’ return; others had degenerated into immoral or irresponsible behavior. Paul assures them that the dead will participate in the resurrection and exhorts the community to live vigilantly as “children of the light.” In our passage, Paul gives a rapid fire series of exhortations before closing. The community should live in joyous, as opposed to anxious and fearful, expectation of the Lord’s coming. With great confidence, Paul prays that the Lord will preserve them in wholeness until he comes.
In the Gospel reading, John the Evangelist presents John the Baptist as a joyful witness who gives testimony to the Jewish leaders that the light is in their midst, although they do not recognize him. The first part of the reading is taken from John’s prologue, a great hymn to Jesus as the Word of God who is the light which has now entered the world. In a kind of aside in the hymn, we are reminded that John the Baptist “was not the light,” but was only a witness to the light.
In his actual testimony, John takes almost perverse delight in giving negative answers to the questions of the priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem. He refuses to accept for himself the titles of Messiah, Elijah or prophet. His sole task is to be “a voice in the desert, crying out: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord!’” When asked why he is baptizing if he is not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet, John points to Jesus’ unrecognized presence and speaks of his unworthiness to even unfasten the strap of his sandal.
In the other appearances of John in the Fourth Gospel, the evangelist continues to present the Baptist as a joyful witness to Jesus. On the very next day when John sees Jesus, he gives the testimony: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John has seen the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus, and now he can testify to him. On the third day he allows two of his disciples to leave him and follow Jesus, and later when he learns that Jesus’ disciples are also baptizing, he rejoices and says:
“No one can receive anything except what has been given him
from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said I am not
the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has
the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and
listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.
So this joy of mine has been made complete.
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