Dear Brothers and Sisters,
What tension, suspense, and drama we witness in today’s readings especially the Gospel. You can feel the electricity in the air as the words move backwards and forwards between John the Baptist and the priests and Levites. Just listen again.
“A man came, sent by God. He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light.
This is how John appeared as a witness. The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’
‘I am not the Christ.’
‘Well then, are you Elijah?’
‘I am not.’
‘Are you the Prophet?’
‘No.’
‘Who are you?’
‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord. I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’”
The first reading also resonates with most of us as a powerful inspirational anthem. “The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for the Lord has anointed me.” Anointed by the Spirit, we too want to bring good news to the poor, to bind up broken hearts, to proclaim freedom to prisoners, to tell everyone how favoured and loved they are by God. But we are only too aware that we are drowning in tragic events both personally and globally, and it is the less well-off and the vulnerable who sink first. We surely want to bring healing to the shattered lives around us; we want to bring freedom to those who are bound in their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual prisons. But some are so wounded that they reject healing; others are so accustomed to their particular cells that they are unable to grasp the hand of liberty which is offered; yet others, hurt and abused so frequently, are unable to believe that anyone loves them, let alone God!
The tension that we heard in the Gospel is translated through the first reading into the reality of our lives today. We feel the drama and the suspense which is caused by God’s Word being once again proclaimed in our lives and in our world; a Word that both encourages and judges, that fills us with hope and challenges our way of living.
So, tension, suspense, and drama – such are the qualities of this season of Advent through which we now journey. This is the sacred time when we prepare to open our hearts to welcome the living, awesome Word of God who will both sear and soothe us. Are we ready; are our lives open and expectant; can we endure the tension, the suspense and the drama that await us all?
All this, though, can be very daunting, disturbing and somewhat distressing. We need hope, strength, and courage if we are to continue this journey on the tense, suspenseful, dramatic road through Advent.
So it is with relief that we hear from our second reading: “Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus. God has called you and he will not fail you.” Here is where our hope lies, our strength, and our courage. We know we cannot rely solely on ourselves; our life’s experience is proof enough of this. It is God’s call to us and he can never let us down, he can never go back on his word, he is faithful and so will not fail us.
Now here is the great mystery of Advent and the Incarnation: the One we are awaiting is standing among us, to spur us on and to give us the courage to be his hands and his feet, to speak his words and fulfil his mission. Having heard the good news first ourselves, we can now bring it to the poor. Knowing God’s healing power in our lives we can now go out and bind up broken hearts. Experiencing the freedom of God’s children, we can communicate that liberty to those incarcerated in their personal prisons. Convinced of God’s love for us, we can bring that love to others today.
This Advent may we experience holy tension, suspense and drama as we await the coming of God’s Word. But let us also know the hope, strength and courage that Christ came to give us through his Spirit. Maranatha! Come, Lord!
May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he will not fail you.
Yours in blessed hope,
+Terence Patrick
Bishop of Middlesbrough 07.11.2014, the Feast of St Willibrord