Third Sunday of Advent
Rejoice! God Has Come to Heal & Save Us
Fr. Udoekpo, Michael Ufok
v Isa 35: 1-6a, 10;
v Ps
146:6-10;
v Jas 5:7-10
v Matt 11:2-11
In our daily lives many of
us would have an occasion at least once in a while to smile and to show signs
of happiness. May be when we got a new grandchild, during our weddings and
ordinations, honey moons or when we receive cards and surprise presence from
our loved ones, and family members, pass our exams, promoted in a job, go
through successful medical procedures, have received nice anniversaries and
birth day gifts, appreciation of the freedom we have, to name but a few. What
gives you hope and what puts a smile on your face?
Elements of Joy and hope
continue to resonate in today’s Bibles readings. This is so, because of what
God has done for us, His saving and healing works in our lives. And in the case of the Israelite, the hope that their enemies, the Assyrians, will not reign forever.
Their defeat shall give way to peace and justice, such that as we saw last
Sunday in Isaiah chapter 11: 1-10, “the wolf shall become guest of the
lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion
shall play together while children shall play freely by the cobra’s dens
without hurting”.
These are not only the
packages of peace, joy and reconciliation that Christ, God’s incarnate brings
with Him for at Christmas. Today Prophet Isaiah 35: 1-6 and Matthew
11: 2-11 particularly step up the call for all us to rejoice because
God has included in the package of His Christmas gifts for each and every one
of us His Savings and Healing Mercies, in spite of who we are. We are called to
be sources of joy and happiness for one another.
Isaiah’s message of hope
and joy of freedom would be fulfilled in Christ. He says God has “strengthen
the hands that are feeble making firm the knees that are weak” (v 3).
There are many circumstances in our lives that would enable realize how week
and feeble we are. Think of the nuclear and threats of terrorism
that you and I live under today. Think of our experiences of physical
illnesses, which sometimes will make us feeble and weak. As a nation,
community, family and individual we also have our strengths and weaknesses.
Some are stronger economically, socially, politically, intellectually and
morally than others.
Whatever area of
weaknesses, and difficulties we may have identified ourselves with, for Isaiah
sorrow and fear are not the right solutions for believers, but hope, patience,
penance and joy because God has the power to make even the lame and cripple to
walk and jump like a deer. He is able to make the mute to sing.
Each and every one of us
(this we must recognized) are blessed in so many ways by God for instance, the
gift to see this day is not because we are smarter than our neighbors or
because our health insurance is much better than that of my next door neighbor,
but because it has been God’s decision and purpose in Christ Jesus who enables
us experience this day and His healing love.
The Psalmist like Isaiah
61:1 and Luke 4:18 (“the spirit of the Lord is upon
me, because he has appointed me to bring goodness to the poor”)
captures this well today when he says: The LORD keeps faith forever, the
LORD secures justice for the oppressed, the LORD sets captives free, the LORD
gives food for the hungry, the LORD gives sights to the blind and the LORD
protects the strangers (Ps 146).
Just as St. James
would put it today, it takes patience, prayers and endurance sometimes to
discern the blessings and the role of God in our lives, especially in times of
great pains, hardship and mix feelings.
Even John the Baptist, the
forerunner of Christ, a Jew, sitting in prison on account of Herodias (Matt.
14) perhaps was wondering why Christ/ if a Jewish messiah would not
intervene in his imprisonment. Remember earlier on John’s disciples were
surprised that Christ’s disciples did not follow their patter fasting and
Jewish observances (Matt 9:14), but spent time healing the blind,
the lame, the deaf, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers and preaching the
Good News to the poor (Matt 11:5-6) and mingling even with
sinners (Matt 9:9), exercises that put others off, or that
were forbidden by the status quo and the establishment. Remember, John Baptized
with water. Christ baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Christ is superior
to John the last prophet of the OT. Even among those born of women, we are
told none is greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the Kingdom
of God is greater than John (Matt 11:11). John is the greatest
prophet, God’s messenger up to his time- as plan by God, which was a
preparation for a new order, the Kingdom of God, which is the fulfillment of
all that OT prophets had foretold including the call for repentance and all
manners of preparations by John.
The challenge for us is
that to be in that Kingdom, even as the least is not only to imitate the hopes
and the mission of John the Baptist and other prophets, but to practice with
joy the life style of Christ, the Master of the Kingdom- peace, love and by
continuing to be sources of strength, hope, God’s saving and healing mercies
for the weak, the feeble and the poor of our communities.
Reflection Questions:
1. What does today’s scripture say
to us?
2. How often do we practice joy and
hope in the midst of adversity and disappointment?
3. How often do we encourage
members of our faith community to act joyfully?
