Fourth Sunday of Advent
Jesus was born at a time when messianic expectations were high. His whole life would show how He indeed fulfilled these messianic hopes.
The Title Christ was a Greek translation for the Hebrew word “Messiah”, meaning “the anointed one.” As more and more Gentiles entered the Church, the word Christ gradually lost its distinction as a title and became part of our Lord’s personal name. “Jesus the Christ” became simply “Jesus Christ.”
If Jesus as Messiah is going to mean anything to us personally, we must acquire some of the attitudes of the Israelites before He was born. We need a Savior in our life. Without a Savior we are sinners with no escape. However, with a Savior we are sinners who are set free.
We also need to acquire the attitude of patient waiting. Somehow through centuries of trials and exile the Israelites were able to wait patiently for the coming Messiah. In our fast-paced world we find it more and more difficult to wait patiently for those things in life that need more time to unfold, things like learning and loving, or friendship and family. Are we able to wait patiently in our struggles and setbacks for the Messiah to come and deliver us?
Finally, we need to imitate Mary’s faith-filled attitude of “let it be.” God has called us as He did Mary. We may not be free of all fear when we answer God’s call, but since His Spirit overshadows us, “let it be.” We may not be too sure about our resources, but since God sends us sometimes to do the impossible anyway, “let it be.”
God Bless
Msgr. Powell
Third Sunday of Advent
The entire gospel of John is a testimony to who Jesus is, and the first to testify is John the Baptist. He rejects any messianic designation for himself; rather his role is to prepare the way for another whom God would send.
That one has already come, but He is not recognized yet by anyone. He is initially not even recognized by John. It took a revelation from God to reveal the identity of Jesus to John. The true identity of Jesus must be revealed to us if we are to know Him – and revealing Jesus’ identity is the purpose of this gospel.
The importance of John the Baptist for us is that he reminds us that Jesus did not appear out of the blue, making incredible claims for Himself. God worked for centuries to prepare the world to receive His Son. He worked through the great events of the Old Testament and through the prophets to bring the Messiah and prepare the world for His coming. As the Messiah was near, God used John the Baptist to make the final arrangements and point out to us our Savior.
Once again, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming of Christ at Christmas, the Church presents John the Baptist as His messenger to us. Then we can join Him once again and proclaim the message to others that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Lord of All.
God Bless
Msgr. Powell