Are You the One? (Advent III)

A few months ago, one of my god-daughters celebrated her 18th birthday. The invitation asked everyone to dress in something with a bit of sparkle, with one stipulation - no pink! Except for the birthday girl.

I have to admit that this was a bit of a struggle for me - I have a number of pink options in my 'good casual' wardrobe. But it was her day to stand out.

This Sunday we celebrate Gaudete - the Advent celebration of JOY that is characterised by the pink candle and rose coloured vestments. It is meant to stand out in the midst of the penitent, self-reflective season to remind us of what we are gathered for.

The liturgy itself begins with the words Rejoice, for the Lord is near.

So why in the Gospel for this Sunday does John ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?'

Actually, it occurs to me when I read it in context that John doesn't ask the question himself - he sends his disciples to Jesus to ask. And in His response, Jesus tells John's disciples to go back and report to John what they have seen. The Good News is being proclaimed, and those that are at the margins - the deaf and the blind, the lame and the poor - are being brought back into the centre of their world.

And I wonder if John didn't send those who had pinned their hopes on him to ask on his behalf, but to see and hear for themselves that the time for relying on him was already at an end. For the kingdom of God is not coming, it is here and now.

At this point in Advent we are reminded that this season is not just a remembrance of the fulfilment of God's promise long ago. Nor is it just a longing for an unknown final coming. It is more than this.

It is a call to live deeply into who we are here and now - heirs of the living kingdom of God.

As the Gospel is proclaimed this Sunday, I will reflect on the question, 'Are you the one?' Or does God have to wait a little longer to rejoice in the realisation of the kingdom?

Comments

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

Early in the final year of my teacher training at Mount Saint Mary's I fell in love. Within months I had decided that this girl was the one. By the end of that year I was off to the country as a beginning teacher, leaving her behind in Sydney to complete her own studies. For the next three years I lived alone in small flat next to the local footy oval. I involved myself in sport, community service and work, and kept myself very busy. I enjoyed it all, but without her, it was never home. In the latter part of my third year, I was applying for four or five jobs a week, longing to get back to her. After what must have been twenty-five or thirty applications a principal asked me straight out in an interview why I was so determined to come back to the city. I told him the truth, and within fifteen minutes of the interview, he offered me the job. I called my mum, and then I called Shayne. My experience of long-distance love (and telephone bills) is why the opening line of th...

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

In this Sunday's Gospel we hear the story of Mary and Martha. It is Martha, we are told, that welcomes Jesus into her house, and immediately she sets about doing exactly what is culturally expected of her. She begins to serve the Lord. We aren't given the details but we can imagine that she is preparing food, drink and welcome for Jesus. And that she would have come to wash his feet. Yet when she does, she finds that her sister Mary is there 'sat at the Lord's feet and listening to Him.' The Gospel tells us that Martha is frustrated - upset that she is doing all the work while her sister assumes the posture of a disciple. And it tells us that she directs her frustration at Jesus, not Mary. "Don't you care..." As we have come to expect, Jesus' answer challenges Martha's righteousness. Mary, she is told, has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her. The story ends abruptly, and we don't get to hear what Martha'...

Pentecost - Year C

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. The entrance antiphon proclaims that 'The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit of God dwelling within us.' The immediate and vivid memory this prompts in me is primary school, felt banners, guitars and children's voices belting out... ♫ God is dwelling in my Heart. He and I are one. All His joy He gives to me, through Christ His son. And with Jesus in my heart, what have I to fear. For He is the Son if God. In my Heart he is near. To this day it's a loud sense-memory, and a happy one. In the first reading this Sunday we also hear a loud sense-memory from the apostles. 'Suddenly, they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house.' The Gospel tells us that they were all gathered in one place 'for fear of the Jews.' It's not clear whether there is any particular threat that they are hiding from, or whether the...

Scripture Reflections Seeking Understanding

Search This Blog