Deacon Tom Anthony

Third Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 7

Reading 1 Is 35:1-6a, 10

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10.

R. (cf. Is 35:4)  Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Jas 5:7-10

Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Alleluia Is 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 11:2-11

When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
"Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."

As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
"What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out?  To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

We have the capability to experience true joy and true love in our lives if only we are open to a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are the ones who can either shut the door, thus keeping Jesus Christ out, or we can open the door wide to welcome Him in. He is constantly knocking at the door waiting for us to respond to His presence. He never ceases from knocking and is persistent in this way because of His love for us and His desire for us to live our lives in the way that God intended us to live it instead of the way that we decided to live it. God knows better. Jesus knows better. We do not know more than God or Jesus and acting that way in the past have only led us into a state of confusion and disappointment. Jesus Christ is offering a different way and we as Christians are encouraged to accept this way by listening to Him and following His instructions. These instructions are rooted in His love for us and are intended to bring us into a healthier state of being physically, mentally, and spiritually.

God makes everything better because we are a part of Him and He is a part of us. To separate ourselves from Him means to become defective and dysfunctional in all of our thoughts and actions. To live a life separate from the one who created us automatically puts us at a disadvantage and unable to live our lives to its greatest potential. God and a loving relationship with Him is the key to joy and satisfaction. Through Him a vision of perfection can be seen and a clear path to contentment. It can be argued that whatever disappointments we have encountered in our lives has been a direct result of a separation from God; an exercising of our own selfish desires above that which God wants for us. As a result of these failures we have become wounded and damaged. We bear many scars from many battles that we have initiated and even welcomed through our own thoughts and actions. We are promised that these battles will come to an end and a wonderful peace will settle upon us by no longer resisting an acceptance of God.

The world is dysfunctional but that is not the fault of God. All of us, through our exercising of our free will without the input of God, have become a cause for this but not without hope. It is through us accepting Jesus Christ as our savior, surrendering our will over to God, and letting God love us that the healing process then begins. A better way to live our lives is available and it is revealed through the process of knowing and accepting God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Many of us have experienced crisis in our lives. It can be argued that almost all of us at one time or another was challenged by things that we went through. That kind of suffering can be viewed as a shared experience because we all can relate to it. As Christians, just as we shared in our sufferings, we can share in the healing process that a relationship with Jesus Christ can bring. Sacred Scripture gives us examples of suffering followed by joy through the presence of God. This has happened in the past and is promised for in the future followed by an eternity of joy with God. Without God there is imperfection while with God there is perfection. When placed in terms such as these the right choice that we should make appears to be all the more obvious.

The Season of Advent teaches us that through Hope in the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ a spiritual peace will be made available to us that will lead to inexplicable joy.  The type of relationship that we have with Him makes all of the difference. To spend time on this relationship to make it stronger and to make it grow is not wasted time but an investment in a wonderful future that will lead to an amazing eternity with the one who created us. The more we concentrate on Jesus Christ then the more we will get to know Him and the closer we will come to God. Coming closer to God and the ultimate good that He is means we will be affected by His presence more than we could ever imagine. The influences of God cannot be overstated and the benefits that we can receive cannot be described by mere words. It is an experience with the eternal that we were meant to have and can have if we only allow ourselves to do so.

Deacon Tom