12/12/2010 - 3RD. SUNDAY IN ADVENT SEASON - A
1Reading Is 35,1-6.8.10 Psalm 145 2Reading Js 5,7-10 GospelMt 11,2-11
Baptism is a sacrament of faith. One asks for baptism to have faith in God which
is nourished by a love for Jesus. Baptism can be compared to horizon, and is a horizon
for those who dream beyond. There are those, who were not raised up in a christian
enviorment, yet heard about Jesus, or even dreamt of him, or have seen trust, love
and forgiveness among the christians. Surprised and challenged by one of these events,
they start to ask questions about Jesus and look for him. To their surprise they
find that he is alive, because he gives them peace and joy of heart. What do they
do? They look for other christians to hear them talking about their Lord, and ask
them to share him with them. This is a sign that Jesus is truly working in their
lives, because he fills them with the Holy Spirit, who in turn brings them to look
for comunion with others. Who looks for Jesus, automatically searches for the Church.
It happens again today what happened to st. Paul when he met the Lord for the first
time: he looked for someone of the Church to be instructed in the faith and get
baptized. What does it mean to be baptized for those who met with Jesus? In an unconcious
way, but strong, we understand that we need to do something to be sure that we belong
to Jesus and be accepted by him, and this can only happen through the acceptance
of the one who loves him and serve him: it is one act with a double will, of the
one baptized and the comunity that baptize. Baptism is not an act done by man or
human beings, but it is a true gift of God, because the one who gets baptized receives
joy and inner energy to enable him able to face persecution without fear: fruit
of the Spirit of God. This is the witness of men and women baptized at an adult
age, of different origins: those coming from atheism, from Islam, from Jehova Witnesses
families, anti-clerical culture, or superficial and corrupt enviorment. When one
gets baptized, he understands the need of a new life, different than before baptism,
and feels like a child in need to be guided so that he can face the various personal
issues of family and society. That's why the comunity in which he finds the faith
place a believer in the Lord, who is committed to live the love of Jesus and follow
the teachings of the Gospel, next to him,
"He comes to save you"! This is how Isaiah explains the reason why all
the people should rejoice and be happy. The prophet invites even the desert and
the dry land: images that speak to those who are going through pain and sorrow to
hope in the intervention of a true saviour. Salvation shall be accompained by clear
signs: those who carry within themselves great sufferings, will be freed. The eys
of the blind shall open, likewise the ears of the deaf, while the lame and the dumb
shall recover their faculties to express the joy of meeting with the Lord. The signs
proposed by Isaiah are the same ones that Jesus fulfills, are the one which to the
disciples of John, he proposes to fulfill carefully. Jesus knew that his miracles
were more than simply miracles. They were signs of his reality, which revealed his
as the one to come, the Messiah of God. John offers to Jesus the occasion to manifest
himself, but Jesus took advantage to reveal the true identity of the Baptist. He,
in prison, is rejected by men, is the one whom God appointed as the one to prepare
his way. The poverty and the desert, chosen by him as the place of his prophecy,
are enviorments that attracted the simpathy not only of men, but of God alike. It
is of him that Scriptures underlines that he shall be the messenger of the Messiah.
Jesus ricognizes this role after having revealed his, and hence he could speak highly
of him. There is no one more greater than him, if not the one who follows Jesus:
the one who follows him is already part of the reign of God.
During these days we are being urged to stay awake to welcome the Lord. He has already
come, but we have not yet opened up for him completely, all the time and space,
all the attention. His love needs to grow within us so that we desire only him:
it is he who shall come in glory.
St. James too speaks to us about the coming of the Lord and urges us to wait for
him with perseverance. He put forward a challenge when he says: "Brothers,
do not complain about one another, so that you wont be judged; the judge is at the
door". He comes as a judge, therefore we are not to take his place to judge
our brothers and sisters. To complain about them is equal to condemn them. Let us
be patient, thus we prepare a welcoming place for the one to come. It is easier
to speak bad about others and about their sins, but it is exactly because of this
that the Lord is coming, to save, to free, to strengthen and to console. Let us
wait for him and let us start to love those whom he shall save!