A reflection for the Third Sunday of Advent
Luke 3:10-18
Today we find ourselves standing along the Jordan listening to John the Baptist, a man dressed bizarrely in camel skins and filled with divine fire. We are part of the hundreds who have come to hear his fiery challenge. John had called the people to take part in a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The word “repentance” is key to understanding John’s mission. In the original text the word used is metanoia, a Greek word that means a total change, a transformation of the heart. It goes far beyond correcting some sinful actions and attitudes or paying stricter attention to the precepts of religious law. Metanoia calls for a new heart, a transformation of attitude and vision. It goes to the center of the person, reaching his or her understanding of who they are. Those who can attain this transformation will be the ones who will recognize and embrace the one who is being sent by God.
The people have been listening to John as he proclaims that the long-awaited Messiah is coming. And they must prepare, take a good look at their lives, and remove the obstacles that will hold them back. People want to be part of the excitement and the promise of being freed from oppression and feeling forgotten by God. The time of fulfilling hopes and promises is now.
Perhaps many are thinking in terms of greater fidelity to the law and its demands, much as the scribes and the pharisees were doing and have urged them to do. But John is calling them to something much more radical. He is calling them to a change of heart. He invites them to show the commitment by entering into the water of the Jordan and being baptized. Many had done so and now were wondering just what this change might really mean for them. The key question becomes, “What must I do?”
John challenges his motivated listeners to look to the needs of others and to share what they have. John is inviting the people to go beyond what the law may require and to see the person in need as a true neighbor and brother or sister in need. They are also to look to themselves and what they have to see how sharing what they have could really relieve suffering and need.
Then Luke presents a twist we would not expect. Others come who are not the kind of people who usually come to hear someone preach about God. They would not be welcome in the synagogue or for the Friday night meal beginning the Sabbath. But even they are asking what they must do to prepare to welcome the one who is coming. John doesn’t glare at their audacity and push them away. He answers them as well. The publicans or tax collectors work for the Romans and many use their power to exploit others. They are not rejected but are challenged to be honest and to respect the people they encounter. And there are also soldiers asking what they must do. John tells them not to abuse their authority by pressing false charges and then demanding bribes. More than just not abusing others, they too should genuinely respect others as they do their duty honestly.
There seems to be a common theme underlying what John is telling all these very different seekers calling out to know what is expected. They are to do much more than just “do the right thing.” They are being challenged to see others as people who have a dignity given them by God and that each person, even the weak or powerless, merits respect. John is calling them to a transformation, a change of heart. The heart is more than intelligence or will. The heart is the very center of the person, the key to who one really is.
Today we picture to ourselves the dramatic figure of John calling us to look into our own hearts. We too are preparing to celebrate the coming of the Son of God into our lives. We too are also asking, “What must I do?” Whether we see ourselves as already disciples or as perhaps on the margin or even standing at a distance, we are all warmly invited to ask this question honestly. What is the response we may be hearing in our hearts? It comes to us not so much from John but from Christ himself already present through the Spirit in our hearts.
Fr. David Foxen, MSC