Homily

The Word of God proclaimed on this third Sunday of Advent invites all those living in the desert of this world to rejoice because they are receiving a promise: “They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God” (Is 35:2). The prophet opens the eyes of those who listen beyond the sadness and resignation of this world and invites them to hope and await God’s advent. Again, Isaiah writes, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God…He will come and save you.” The Lord will come. With thoughtful and joyful certainty, the prophet makes the same promise to us. He shows us a vision for a new world, where the lame leap like deer, the mute sing for joy, and through the burdens and sadness of the human condition, a highway will open up along which all those whom the Lord has redeemed will travel. Again he adds, “They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” But, is not this a dream? Is not this just one of the many dreams that come up from time to time, during moments of optimism? Or, is it a beautiful hope that the prophet communicates to us only to console us in our sadness? When, indeed, will we ever be able to see joy and happiness replace our tears and sorrow? Perhaps John the Baptist asked the same dramatic question when he was in Herod’s prison. Isaiah’s promise, just a dream? The coming of the Kingdom of God, a distant reality? How much longer do we have to wait?
John -- who not by chance accompanies us robustly toward Christmas -- sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” This is the question during this time of Advent; but it is also the question that those who are religious or who keep the fate of this world close to heart ask everyday. This Sunday, we, too, ask when and how Isaiah’s prophecy will come true. We pose this question to the Word of the Lord, just as John’s disciples asked Jesus. The evangelist writes that the prophet of Nazareth received John’s disciples and did not let them leave without giving them an answer: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” Drawing from the prophet Isaiah’s words, Jesus sends them back to John to say that the prophecy is fulfilled; it is no longer just a dream, but is already reality.
Through him who walks among all people, Isaiah’s prophecy initiated its definitive realization. And Jesus adds, “And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.” In him, God works his plan - not in the extraordinariness of miracles or in the mystery of exoteric magic, but in the ordinariness of mercy and in the mystery of compassion. It was up to the Christian generations, as it is now up to us, to render visible the signs that Jesus himself made as indicators of a renewed world. This is the serious responsibility placed on the shoulders of every disciple. We also could respond to those who ask, “Go and tell what you hear and see.” So, the signs of Advent are here today. There are those who announce the Gospel to the poor; who perform miracles of charity, justice, and God’s mercy; who, forget themselves and put themselves at the service of the weak and poor; there are the blind who see affectionate friends visiting them; there are those who know how to console the sorrowful and be tender and caring with those who are sick and abandoned.
Blessed are those who receive these signs and allow them to touch their heart. Jesus came and he teaches us to walk with him, to work with him, to love with him, to be moved with him by compassion for the tired and weary crowds that he meets along the way. He teaches us not to despair while we wait and not to close up our heart within the narrow horizon of today’s anguish, pride, or resignation. “Come, Lord Jesus!” was the prayer of the early Christians. Let this be our prayer, too; it will free us from the sad attractions of this world.