There was a man named John, sent by God to give
testimony to the Light. The first words of today's gospel tell us
everything we need to know about John the Baptist: he was sent to give
testimony. The word in the original Greek is apostolein, apostle. To give testimony, the word in the original
Greek is marturios, martyr. John the
Baptist is an apostle and a martyr. Actually, John was the first apostle. He
was the first one sent to proclaim the presence of the Christ. He was also the
first Christian martyr. John was the first one to give testimony to the truth
of Christ among us. He realized that Divine Truth had entered the world as a
human being[1].
And like John
the Baptist we also have been called to be apostles and witnesses, I mean, we
have been entrusted with a mission from God; we are created for a very
particular purpose: we are called to make the presence of Christ a reality in
our worlds by giving witness to his presence in our own lives.
Our world today needs
our witness to Christ so badly. Look how evident that is right now, just eleven
days before Christmas. Some claim that Christ does not exist, or that if he
exists he has lost his force upon the world.
Let us be honest
more than ever: it is “politically correct” to demand that all mention of Jesus
be taken out of Christmas. Its very name is to be changed to “Winter Holidays”
[And here’s a secret that I don’t want you to tell the politically correct: the
word holiday come from the union of two words holy and day]. Holy Days were
always days off from work, today, sadly, Christmas it’s a celebration of
materialism...
The world that
has rejected Jesus Christ needs witnesses to His Presence. The world needs new
John the Baptists to point to Jesus. We are called to be these witnesses. We
are called to stand up before friends, families; working companions and say,
with our lives more than our words, “For me, the Life of Christ is more
important than anything the world can offer”.
And if this is a reality, at the core of our being, the Holy Spirit that
is within us will convince others of the truth of our witness.
We are called to
wear a cross, not just around our necks but imprinted upon our very being. We
are called to sacrificial lives. We are called to sacrificial love. We
recognize the presence of Christ in our families, among our immediate society,
and throughout the world. We are called
to reverence God in every action of our lives because our commitment to Christ
in the whole reason for our lives.
The very world that
has rejected Jesus requires, wants
his presence. People complain about a world in darkness. They fill bookshelves
with self help books and books telling them where to find meaning in life. They
search for light everywhere except the most obvious place. They overlook the
presence of Christ among them and even within them. This is where we come in.
We have been sent by God. We are the new apostles. We have been called, chosen,
to lead people out of the cave of darkness into the Light of the Lord.
We have been
called to be witnesses. We are the new witnesses, and in many ways, the new
martyrs. We give testimony to the Truth of the Lord even if this testimony
takes a personal toll on us in our homes, at our workplace or in our
neighborhoods. We are the new John the Baptists, apostles and witnesses. We
have a responsibility to the world around us to reflect the presence of
Christ. Others need to find Jesus. Others need the testimony of those who are
sent by God.
We, apostles and
witnesses, the new Baptists, will best prepare for Christmas if we spend time
determining how we can better be faithful to our mission of reflecting God's
presence in the world.
Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice. The message of
this Third Sunday of Advent is simple: Our lives must lead others to rejoice in
the Light.
There was a man sent by God to give testimony to the
Light[2]. May we have
the courage to continue the work of John the Baptist ■
