Third Sunday of Advent

Last Sunday, St. Luke wrote about John the Baptist: “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
This Sunday’s Gospel is a response from John’s call for repentance. When the people heard the message of repentance from John the Baptist they had one question. The tax collectors, the soldiers and the people asked this question: “What must we do?”
We too, as we look at many years of being a Catholic or follower of Jesus, we must also ask this question: “What must we do?” Yes, what must we do? What is it that the Lord wants us to do?
As we think about this, let us also remember that what we do flows from who we are. In other words, action flows from being. We need to think about who we are first, and then we will know what we must do. The mission that God has given to us, when we receive Baptism and Confirmation, is to be a sign of salvation and to lead people to Jesus the Saviour.
So, we are called to be signs of salvation, and that we know who Jesus is, and that others can see Jesus in us. But the question is: how do they see Jesus in us?
When others can see that Jesus in us, that we are a joyful and thankful people, that what we say, think, and do are a form of our love to Jesus, then they will want us to bring them to Church. They will want to know how to pray and how to be at peace. They will want to know who Jesus is and to seek forgiveness and healing.
Yes, when others see that this is who we are, then what we need to do will come naturally. God has called us to be His people and blessed us with the gift of faith. Therefore, let us be a blessing for others, so that as Church, we will journey on with rejoicing and thanksgiving.
Our reflection for the third Sunday of Advent is: what must we do as a Catholic? What does Jesus want us to do?
Fr. Aegidius Warsito SCJ