2nd Sunday of Advent: John the Baptist: Identity and Mission

12-10-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

Every time we hear the name of John the Baptist, we associate him with his identity and mission: He is not the Messiah but the precursor, the herald, the one who is to come and prepare the way of the Lord. Today, we hear in the Gospel how busy, dedicated, and diligent he is in his mission to Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight His path.

Aside from baptizing, he proclaimed the message of repentance and forgiveness of sin. People mistake him as the Messiah, but he never pretended to be the “one” instead, he admitted that he is simply the voice in the wilderness who comes before the awaited one. In John, we see the messenger himself is the message. He never grabs attention and credit, his message is clear, and he walks his talk. His lifestyle and message are irreproachable. His words point to the Messiah; he warns his listeners to mend their ways by inspiring them to change and convert.

Are we aware of our identity and mission? There are many ways one wishes to be known: The royalties, the kingly class, the priestly family, family trade, or lineage from a famous person, but John humbly accepts he is just the herald of the Messiah. He fulfilled the prophecy by preparing the way of the Lord. John preached a message of repentance by convicting his listeners and their Jewish leaders, Pharisees, and the scribes. The crowds adored John and his preaching he was different from most of their teachers, his words appealed to their hearts, and he baptized many of them with the baptism of repentance. What about us; do we identify ourselves truly as Christ’s disciple? Have we taken the banner to continue the mission of proclaiming Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of His Father? There is a story of a fireman who helped extinguish the fire at His Church. The priest was there, and surprised to know that one of them was Catholic, he asked: How come I have never seen you before? And the fireman replied: Father, I only come when the Church is on fire. The image of St. John the Baptist in the Gospel reminds us to examine ourselves and our message. Do we continue the mission entrusted to all disciples by Jesus Christ: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (Mt. 28:19-20). Are we still burning with passion for this mission?

The earlier we accept that there is someone and something greater than us, the earlier we start our journey. John says: One mightier than I is coming after me. He knew from the beginning the work he had to do. The scribes and the Pharisees see John as crazy and possessed by a demon because of his ascetical life, singular diet, and the message he proclaimed. For many years, no one has heard the voice of a prophet, so the people are only too happy to feel that God is again speaking to His people through John the Baptist. Their hunger is about to end, their thirst about to be quenched, not by physical bread and water, but by the words of God. The words of John bring excitement and hope this season of Advent. Jesus is coming, prepared His way it is not simply an event in the past but an Advent, a preparation for Christmas. We await with hearts full of joy for the Parousia when Jesus comes again in GLORY.

John the Baptist is our model of discipleship this Sunday. As long as we know who we are and who God is, we share the mission of preparing the way of the Lord. Let us humbly accept our need for, and dependence on, God. We remember that the key to a meaningful advent is humility. There is no true conversion unless there is no authentic aversion to sin.