Rejoice! He is Near!

3rd Sunday of Advent
Dec. 16, 2012
(Lk 3:10-18)

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
"What should we do?"
He said to them in reply,
"Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise."
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
"Teacher, what should we do?"
He answered them,
"Stop collecting more than what is prescribed."
Soldiers also asked him,
"And what is it that we should do?"
He told them,
"Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages."

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
"I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

As St. John the Baptist continues his preaching, the people were filled with expectation, so our Gospel tells us. Indeed, the same feeling is ours now that we are nearing the Solemnity of the Lord’s Birth. The Church invites us today to rejoice as we celebrate Gaudete Sunday (“Rejoice” Sunday) in the midst of our Advent journey.

 

To rejoice is truly a Christian thing to do. St. Paul, in the Second Reading (Phil 4:4-7) urges the Philippians to rejoice always in the Lord and to show their kindness to all.

St. John the Baptist, on the other hand, in preparing the expectant people for Jesus’ public ministry, exhorts them to practice charity, to show love and concern for their neighbors and to always do what is just in their dealings with other people. St. John’s message applies to us today. As we wait for the Lord’s second coming and anticipate the joy of the Christmas celebration, we are reminded to take another look at how we relate to other people. In our love for our neighbor, we show our love for God and our deep longing for Him.

Our joy, of course, does not come exclusively from a life lived in love and justice, lest we fall into the error of believing that our joy comes only from what we do, from our own merit. After instructing the people, John the Baptist speaks about someone who will come after him – Jesus. It is Jesus who comes to us that give us true joy. “The Lord is near,” says St. Paul; that is why we are joyful! Being righteous is not the cause of our joy. We are joyful, rather, because of Jesus, Righteousness Himself, in whose example we follow.

In our Advent journey, we are again filled with joy because the Lord is indeed coming! May we find that true joy that comes only from Christ and not from Christmas decorations. Also, like John the Bapist, may we continue to point to Jesus, telling everyone that He brings salvation and joy to all. Thus shall peace, justice and love be our treasures not only for the coming Christmas season, but for the rest of our lives!

Joy and Repentance

2nd Sunday of Advent
Dec. 9, 2012
(Lk 3:1-6)

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

John the Baptist is a key figure of the Advent Season. He was the herald of the Lord Jesus. His task was to prepare the people of Israel for the Lord's coming - for the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. We are fortunate to have St. John the Baptist as a model in our Advent preparation. As he wanted to prepare the people of his time for Jesus' coming, we also wish to prepare ourselves now for the Lord's second coming. And hopefully, this Advent Season may remind us of the importance of always being prepared for the Lord's coming, whatever liturgical season it may be.

John the Baptist prepared the people for Jesus through a baptism of repentance. Truly, sin hinders our openness to God who is coming to us. So it was repentance that John called for so that the people of Israel would be ready and open to the message that Jesus was about to proclaim. Today the Church also calls us to repentance and conversion - our proper preparation for the "end of the world" or for the Lord's coming. For the Lord will come to judge us according to our faithfulness.

The words of Isaiah are echoed by John: "Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low." Yes, the Lord's coming demands such a radical change. The mountains and hills of sin and secular worries must be made low. They should be brought to level ground so that justice may reign in us. The valleys - the laziness and the refusal to follow God's law of love - should be filled in with charity, with virtues, and especially with the adherence to the beatitudes of Jesus. This is authentic repentance and conversion! We should not stop with mere sorrow for our sins and failures. We must come to Jesus in Confession and strive, through divine grace, to amend our lives, keeping the faith until He comes again.

We know that the Lord will be coming, yet we do not know when He will come. For all we know, He might come again during Ordinary Time! Therefore, the call to repentance, to turn away from sin and to practice charity is a call that we must answer everyday. We know that when Jesus comes, He will bring salvation to His faithful ones. Therefore, we must always remain faithful and as much as we can, with God's grace, never falter in our Christian living even for a moment. For all we know, that one moment when we become unfaithful might be the last moment we have.

True, Advent is a time of joyful expectation. But it is also true that it is a penitential season, though not as much as Lent is. We are joyful because we have that "blessed hope" that Jesus will surely come to bring us salvation. But we must also be repentant, mindful that Jesus will come as our Judge and Savior.

Testifying to the Light that Gives Joy

3rd Sunday of Advent Dec. 11, 2011 (Jn 1:6-8, 19-28)

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, "Who are you?" he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am not the Christ."

So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." So they said to him, "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?" He said: "I am 'the voice of one crying out in the desert, "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as Isaiah the prophet said." Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Today is Gaudete Sunday, a day of rejoicing. In the midst of the semi-penitential Season of Advent, the liturgy invites us today to rejoice. While we feel sorrow for our sins as we anticipate the Lord’s coming, we also feel joy because the preparation we are doing, if indeed we are preparing properly, will allow us to encounter the Lord more intimately. As St. Paul exhorts us in today’s Second Reading (1 Thes 5:16-24), we must rejoice even as we strive to avoid evil and to live in holiness.

Our Gospel for today tells us of John the Baptist’s testimony. At a time when people rarely heard God’s revelations through prophets, John the Baptist raised expectations when he testified to the light – Jesus, whose coming shall cause great rejoicing. Jesus is the Messiah who was sent “to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God (see First Reading, Is 61:1-2,10-11).”

To those who asked him, John admitted that he was not the Christ. But he foretold the coming of one greater than him. John did not claim to be the light but pointed to the true light – to Jesus, the Messiah the Jews have been waiting for.

Today, as we worry about the many things we think can make our Christmas a happy one, we remember John the Baptist pointing to Christ, reminding us that He is our true joy. All our Christmas decorations and festivities are only means of expressing our joy; they are not the cause of our joy. Our joy comes from a heart-to-heart encounter with Jesus, an encounter that can only be as intense as our hearts are pure from sin.

Christmas lights may shine bright, but they can never outshine Jesus who comes shining anew in our hearts. So let us keep our gaze towards Christ, the light that gives true Christmas joy. So let us rejoice today, awaiting Jesus’ coming and preparing a heart free from sin for Him.

Cleaning up and Decorating Our Hearts

2nd Sunday of Advent Dec. 4, 2011 (Mk 1:1-8)

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths."

John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.

And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

In this Second Sunday of Advent, we are invited to reflect on the ministry and on the message of John the Baptist. John is the humble herald of the Lord. Before Jesus began His public ministry, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance. He reminded people to take a look at how they are living their lives and in what ways they sin against God. He invited them to repent – to turn away from their sins and to live according to God’s will. This was John’s message: Jesus is coming so fix yourselves up!

The First Reading (Is 40:1-5, 9-11) gives the same message. Israel wandered far from God because of sin, but God has forgiven them. God is “coming back” to Israel. But Isaiah reminds God’s people that they must prepare by making straight “in the wasteland a highway” for God. This means that they must build anew their lives that were laid waste by sin. “Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low.” This means that every weakness and shortcoming they have must be “filled in” with good deeds and an effort to improve themselves. Every destructive thing or sinful deed must be “made low” or done away with. God is coming to them, so they must turn away from what separated them from Him in the first place. This was also John’s message to the people he was inviting to prepare for Jesus’ coming – and also to us. This is what repentance means. This is what God wills us to do, and He patiently waits for us to do it (see Second Reading: 2 Pt 3:8-14).

As Christmas draws near, we will again go through many preparations. Cleaning up and decorating are just some of these. There’s nothing wrong with all these preparations. But we must remember that these are only external preparations. What we really need to clean up and decorate are our hearts. Like the Israelites Isaiah and John the Baptist preached to, we must clean up our hearts and throw away everything that is evil and sinful in them. We must also decorate our hearts, adorning them with virtues, good deeds and prayerfulness. This is the proper way of preparing for Jesus’ coming into our lives. Only when we do this do we truly become ready to commemorate Jesus’ coming here on earth on Christmas, to experience His presence in our lives today, and to meet Him face to face when He finally comes back again.

Let us always remember that Advent comes before Christmas. Advent is a season of preparation, a time for us to heed John the Baptist’s call to repentance in preparation for Jesus’ coming. Let us listen to this voice in the desert. Let us start cleaning up and decorating our hearts.

Advent Comes Before Christmas

2nd Sunday of Advent Dec. 5, 2010 (Mt 3:1-12)

In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'"

John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

Aside from the Lenten Season, Advent is a season when the Church reiterates the constant call for repentance. Everyday, we are called to return to the path God set for us as we journey to find Him. But Advent reminds us in a special way that God Himself is coming to us and that we should prepare a way for Him.

The message of John the Baptist, therefore, is an important part of the Advent message. John reminds us that when someone is coming, the natural response is for us to prepare. Now since our expected visitor is Jesus, we must remember that the preparation we must do is not just decorating, feasting and buying gifts. These lose their meaning when we forget to prepare our hearts for Jesus.

Christmas for most of us today has become a meaningless joyful season. Little by little, we are removing Christ from Christmas. This is because some of us don't participate in the Advent season's journey of repentance and joyful spiritual preparation. Every year, we celebrate Christmas; but how does this yearly celebration change our lives aside from emptying our pockets? Christmas joy will always fade if our joy does not come from Christ.

John the Baptist reminds us not to be indifferent with affairs of the soul. As the Advent season continues, we are reminded to prepare for Jesus a road that leads to our hearts, without fear, anger or sin as obstacles along the way. We are invited to turn away from sin and to focus on welcoming the God who desires to enter our hearts. Instead of cleaning and decorating our homes and feasting, we must remember to clean our hearts defiled by sin, furnish our souls with holiness and to feast on God's Word in order to prepare for Jesus' visit.

The Pharisees and Sadducees in our Gospel today symbolize the people who refuse to prepare for Jesus' coming because they don't see the need for it. John, in exhorting the Pharisees, in effect also reminds us that simply being a Christian is not enough. We must live fruitful lives and our repentance must be made manifest through a life of holiness. Anyone can say he's repentant, and many people say they believe in God. Nevertheless only a few really live as children of God.

Jesus always comes to us in our daily lives. And finally, He will come again to be our judge at the end of time. This is a reality that we must not take lightly. Christmas is not just a mere reminiscing of how Jesus once came to be born here on earth. It is a reminder that He will indeed come again to gather those who are His, and to condemn those who were not fruitful and who did not prepare for His coming. In the end, the peace that was foretold in today's First Reading will be the abode of those who belong to Jesus.

May the message of Advent remain in our hearts and minds even after the season. May we always remember to care about our spirit, for when Jesus comes, He will care, not too much about how we made merry, but about how we prepared for His coming.

His Mission

Feast of the Lord's Baptism Jan. 10, 2010 (Lk 3:15-16, 21-22)

Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

The baptism preached by John is a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. So why did Jesus need to be baptized by John, when Jesus had no sin and, therefore, did not need to be baptized? This question is usually where reflections about today's Gospel start.

Jesus' baptism echoes the message of Christmas to a larger audience. It echoes the truth that God has indeed visited His people and that He dwells with them even though they are sinners. Metaphorically speaking, the River Jordan has been dirtied by the sins of those who have repented and have had their baptism in it. Jesus, the Savior, made the waters clean. The waters of the Jordan were made holy by Jesus who plunged in it. In the same way, Jesus comes into this world as man to cleanse us from sin by His bloody Baptism on Mount Calvary.

The Baptism of Jesus, therefore, reminds us of the central message of Christmas - that Jesus came into our sinful world to save us. In this sense, also, we realize that the joy of Christmas is inseparable to the sorrow of Calvary. The news that Jesus dwelt here on earth cannot be separated with the story of his saving death.

In the first part of the Gospel, John spoke about the coming of someone mightier than him. Jesus was then revealed to the people as the Son of God, the promised Messiah John spoke about. One should never cease to marvel at how God has willed to send even His own Son for our salvation. It was unthinkable that a God would become man, out of love for His people. Much less unthinkable is the fact that this Son of God would offer his life for the salvation of His people. Yet, God showed us His love: "This is my beloved Son." Witnesses of Jesus' Baptism ought to have been in awe.

On our part, since we are baptized Christians, we ought to pattern our lives to that of Christ. The Holy Spirit who descended upon Jesus as a dove shall guide us as we travel to our own Jerusalem. Each person has been anointed by God to serve Him in a unique way and each must discern and obey His will. But as a Church, we also share a common mission, given to us by Christ. And that is to be His witnesses to the whole world. As Jesus was baptized to start His public ministry, our own Baptism also anoints us as children of God. And we must live as His true children, faithful and obedient.

Echoing the Joyful News

3rd Sunday of Advent Dec. 13, 2009 (Lk 3:10-18)

The crowds asked John the Baptist, "What should we do?"

He said to them in reply, "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise."

Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

He answered them, "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed."

Soldiers also asked him, "And what is it that we should do?"

He told them, "Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages."

Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

John the Baptist instructed the people on how they should live their lives. His message was simple - being faithful to one's duties and treating one's neighbors well, being just, to put it simply. But despite the simplicity of this message, apparently there was a great need to preach it. People were forgetting to live good lives that the basic moral teaching of doing good and avoiding evil had to be reiterated. John's preaching made the people realize the coming of something new, a radical change of the corrupt spiritual situation in which they have found themselves. The Messiah is coming!

John confirmed this news, that, indeed, the Messiah was about to come. But He was not the Messiah. He was only a herald. John was only sharing the joyful news that the Lord is present among His people. But, aside from that, he was exhorting the people to be part of this good news, to be the good news to others by treating others well. By this, we make God present, not only among His people, but also through His people who live godly lives.

The readings for today invite us to rejoice because the Lord is near and He is coming to save us. We are further invited to emanate this joy, to show our neighbors, through our kindness and love, that God reigns and that God has come to save them too.

As Christmas draws near, the joy we feel also increases. May we not forget that our joy ought to come from the longing for Christ, not from the many distracting outer joys that festivities bring. Also, may we not forget to pass the joy and love that we have received from the Lord to those whose misfortune prevent them from rejoicing this season.

As we receive the good news of God's great love symbolized by the helpless baby on His crib, may we pass the joy and the love this news brings. May we be the good news to those who have not heard or who refuse to hear God's "I love you!"

The Humble Manger of Our Hearts

2nd Sunday of Advent Dec. 6, 2009 (Lk 3:1-6)

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

"A voice of one crying out in the desert:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' "

We prepare a lot of things for Christmas. We prepare food, gifts, parties and many other things that we usually associate with joy. We know Christmas is the birth of Jesus so we do all the things we do when we celebrate birthdays. But today, it seems that Christ is disregarded in His own birthday celebration. Christ, the true light has been replaced by thousands of Christmas lights that give us a sense of joy but does not really remind us of Christ.

Last Sunday, the Gospel warned us to be ready for the coming of the Lord. Jesus told us that we should not be busy with the pleasures of the world, so as not to be caught by surprise when the world ends. Today, the Gospel gives us an example of how to prepare for Christ's coming. John the Baptist tells us to prepare the way of the Lord, to fill every valley and to make low every mountain and hill. This means that we should do away with what is not pleasing to God and instead, have the values that He wants us to learn. To prepare for Christ's coming, what we need to do is prepare our hearts. Like the candles of our Advent Wreath, the light in our hearts must shine brighter and the sin must melt away.

Preparing the way of the Lord means preparing ourselves. Jesus will be born in our hearts. Are our hearts free from sin and worthy for our Savior to dwell in? The best preparation for Christmas is spending Advent as a season of repentance, of doing away with sin, like John the Baptist who prepared the way of the Lord with a baptism of repentance. If we prepare so many things for friends and family this Christmas, if we clean our houses for our visitors, all the more should we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus. After all, it is His birthday.

Like the John the Baptist, we must also be heralds of the Lord. As faithful Christians, we ought to remind our neighbors of how to truly prepare for the joy of Christmas. We can party and give gifts. But we must not forget, and must not let others forget, that the celebrant in the party is Christ, and that gift-giving means radiating the love God expressed by giving us His Son. The joy of Christmas is folly if Christ is removed from it. Therefore, we can best prepare for Christmas by focusing on Jesus and preparing the most comfortable place for Him, in the humble yet worthy little manger of our hearts.

Our Christian Mission

Feast of the Lord's Baptism Jan. 11, 2009 (Mk 1:7-11)

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.

And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

The baptism proclaimed by John was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, the question we have to reflect on today is this: "Why did Jesus have to be baptized?" True, Jesus became man. But He did not commit sin. He was like us in all things but sin (Heb 4:15). So why did He have to be baptized by John?

The baptism of Jesus is also an Epiphany. It is a manifestation. It is when God the Father introduced Jesus as His beloved Son. If we compare this epiphany to the epiphany which occurred when the baby Jesus was revealed to the magi, there is one noteworthy similarity. Both epiphanies occurred in humble scenarios. Yes, Jesus manifests Himself in simple and humble ways. First, He was manifested to the magi, lying on the humble manger. Now, He is manifested to the peoples, while receiving a baptism that was meant for sinners. Jesus baptism is, therefore, an act of humility. It is a sign of His sharing with our humanity. He identifies Himself with sinful man, yet He Himself remained sinless.

Jesus' baptism is also the beginning of His public ministry. After His baptism, he went to fast in the wilderness where He was tempted. Then, He began His mission - three years of preaching, healing the sick, forgiving sinners and feeding the hungry - which culminated in His passion, death and resurrection.

Today's feast reminds us of our own baptism. We often think of baptism as a ritual that has been done to us before. But it is much more than that. Baptism makes us Christians - followers of Christ and children of the Father. Through it, we receive the Holy Spirit.

Baptism also gives us a mission - a common mission as part of the community and a unique mission which we must discern. Our baptism is something which we must live up to everyday. We must live in the way Christ showed us. Our parents and godparents should be our guide in doing this. Sadly, many ignore this mission.

As children of God, we share in the mission of Christ, We must continue building the Kingdom of God on earth. We must journey towards God and help each other be closer to Him.

Do we give value to our baptism? Do we live up to the mission given to us as baptized Christians? Are we helping to build the Kingdom on here earth? Or are we just living as children of this earth, with worldly values and desires?

Christmas Light: Rejoicing for the Right Reason

Third Sunday of Advent Dec. 14, 2008 (Jn 1:6-8, 19-28)

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, "Who are you?" he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am not the Christ."

So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." So they said to him, "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?" He said: "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said." Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, a Sunday of joy. The presiders at Mass may wear rose or pink vestments to symbolize joy. We also light today the pink candle of the Advent Wreath.

Advent is a semi-penitential season. Nevertheless, this season invites us to rejoice. We should rejoice always (1 Thes 5:16) even if circumstances call for grief. This is because even if it seems like everything in our life is hopeless, God still gives us reasons to be happy. And this happiness from God is greater than all grief.

In the Gospel, John the Baptist is again presented. He is said to be the one who "came to testify to the light" (Jn 1:8). His identity was questioned. But he never claimed to be anyone other than who he was, the herald of the light. He proclaimed the coming of the one greater than he was. This light to which John gave testimony is from God.

The greatest gift of God is the little baby whose birth we are going to celebrate soon, the light whose coming was heralded by John. God gave Him to us for us to be happy. This happiness is not just because a birth of a child is joyful, for Jesus is no ordinary child. The happiness that God gives to us through the little baby Jesus is eternal happiness. This will be accomplished in the redemptive act of Jesus.

Jesus is the greatest evidence of God's love for us and of God's desire for us to be happy. This gift of love from God is the ultimate cause of our joy this Christmas. We celebrate God the Son whose birth makes our salvation nigh. Jesus laid on the manger is the deep well from which Christmas joy springs. This is something we often forget.

Often, we get too amused with the luminous Christmas lights and decorations around us. They cause us joy as we feast our eyes on them. Amidst this great multitude of lights, John the Baptist points us to the true light, the one who gives us eternal joy. He reminds us that it's not about these electricity-powered lights. It is about the light of the nations who was given by God for our salvation.

This coming Christmas, let us be joyful. But let us remember to rejoice for the right reasons. Let Christ be the center of our celebration. After all, it is HIS birthday!

A Clean Heart is the Greatest Gift

Second Sunday of Advent Dec. 7, 2008 (Mk 1:1-8)

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths."

John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.

And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

The Gospel today describes John the Baptist and how he prepared the people for the coming of Christ. He proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He was able to baptize many people, drawing their attention to heavenly things, reminding them of the coming of the Messiah, the one mightier than him.

John the Baptist is an important figure in the Advent Season. He shows us that preparing for Jesus' coming does not require meaningless joy. It does not require decorations whose deeper symbolism we have forgotten, nor attending the Simbang Gabi just because it's fun and challenging to attend Mass in such an unusual hour.

Preparing for Jesus' coming should be a spiritual preparation, as John the Baptist showed us. He did not prepare a feast for Jesus. Instead, he spent his days in the desert, wearing clothes from camel's hair and eating locusts and honey. He proclaimed repentance. Before Jesus comes, we are asked to "prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the wasteland, a highway for our God. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley." (Is 40:3-4). This signifies a complete change of heart.

The valleys should be filled in. This means that we need to have the things that we ought to have. We need to be good, be "filled in" with virtues and values that a Christian is expected to have.

Every mountain and hill should be made low. This signifies that we should do away with the "mountains of sins" that we have built in our hearts. The Advent Season invites us to return to God, to meet Him in the confessional where He is ready to forgive us through the priest.

If we make so many material preparations for Christmas, we could end up rejoicing for shallow reasons. We will be celebrating parties with our friends and family, eating joyfully and exchanging gifts. We will be lighting Christmas lights and sending Christmas cards. These things are not at all bad. Christmas is a joyful celebration. But oftentimes, our joy comes from these things, not from the good news that Christmas brings. We seem to be forgetting the nature of the celebration. It's Jesus' birthday, for goodness' sake! This should be the ultimate cause of our joy.

The only thing which we could prepare for Jesus is a place in the manger of our hearts. Even if our hearts are just humble mangers for the Lord, it would mean so much to Him if our hearts were clean, free from sins. He chooses to dwell in our hearts. And we should do Him the favor of preparing our hearts for His coming.

Let us follow the example of John the Baptist, the herald of Christ, who prepared for Jesus' coming with a baptism, an act which nourishes the spirit, not the stomach. Let us make this Christmas more special, not with a red ribbon, but with a proper preparation of our hearts for His coming. Let us also remember that Advent is not only a preparation for Christmas, it is also a reminder of Jesus' second coming. With these in mind, we should be ready. A clean and charitable heart will be our ticket to God's Kingdom and our greatest gift for Jesus' birthday.