Christ the Cornerstone

We can begin again as Jesus comes again

The Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Advent (Lk 3:10-18) shows us how St. John the Baptist helped prepare for the coming of the Messiah.

As the last of the Old Testament prophets, John urged the people of Israel to be honest, to share their food and possessions with the poor, and to wait in joyful hope for the Lord’s coming.

When the crowds who came to the desert to see him asked if he was the one they had been waiting for, his answer was clear:

“I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Lk 3:16-17).

John was a humble man who spoke the plain truth. His baptism of repentance anticipated, but did not replace, the sacramental baptism of Jesus which makes it possible for us to be born again “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John points to Jesus. That’s why he is the perfect saint for the season of Advent. He responds to our eager expectation with words and gestures of hope.

In his Angelus message for the Second Sunday of Advent two years ago, Pope Francis called attention to the powerful figure of St. John the Baptist. He observed that John stands out as a herald and precursor of the long-awaited Messiah, the One that God promised would save us from our bondage to sin and death. As Pope Francis said:

“John preached the nearness of the Kingdom. In short, he was an austere and radical man, who at first sight might appear somewhat harsh and could instill a certain fear. But then again, we can ask ourselves why does the Church propose him each year as our primary traveling companion during this Season of Advent? What is hidden behind his severity, behind his apparent harshness? What is John’s secret? What is the message the Church gives us today with John?

“In reality, the Baptist, more than being a harsh man, was a man who was allergic to duplicity. Listen well to this: allergic to duplicity.”

Hypocrisy (duplicity) was something that John could not tolerate. In this, he anticipated the stance that Jesus would take in dealing with the religious and political leaders of his day. John refused to stay silent or to acquiesce in the hypocrisy of King Herod. John spoke the plain truth, and it cost him his life.

Our secular culture often presents us with an image of Jesus that is tolerant of everything. After all, he scandalized the people around him by associating with prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners. And it’s true that the divine physician himself said that he came to heal sinners, not the righteous.

This image of Jesus as a kind and gentle healer is true, but it is incomplete. Jesus’ first words when he began his public ministry were a call to repentance. Yes, he associated with sinners, but in doing so, he challenged them to repent.

“Go and sin no more” was his admonition to those (all of us) whose lives were less than perfect. Like his cousin John, Jesus did not tolerate hypocrisy. He was “allergic to duplicity” and while he opened his Sacred Heart to everyone, he also challenged everyone to accept a new and much better way of living in and through him.

Advent is a time of joyful expectation. It is also a time for honest self-examination, confession and the resolve to “sin no more” with the help of God’s grace. John the Baptist shows us the way.

“The crowds asked John the Baptist, ‘What should we do?’ He said to them in reply, ‘Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise’ (Lk 3:11).

“Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He answered them, ‘Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And what is it that we should do?’ He told them, ‘Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages’ ” (Lk 3:12-14).

No matter who we are, no matter how we have lived until now, the coming again of Jesus is an opportunity to begin again.

If we let him, Jesus will come into our hearts and clear away everything that holds us back and prevents us from loving God and our neighbor with generous hearts. Come, Lord Jesus! †