Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” This is the question that Jesus was asked by John the Baptist. Yes, even John, while in prison, seems to have had some doubts about the identity of Jesus.
What does Jesus say to him? Don’t rely on my words, look to what I have done: “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
Today, there are many people who doubt the divinity of Jesus. Oh, they believe he was a historical figure, a good man, but not the Messiah. Yet, for us, he has changed our lives. He has forgiven us, fed us with his Body and Blood, given us hope, and promised eternity to us. He has cured our spiritual blindness and wiped away our spiritual leprosy, caused us to walk forward with faith, put new life into our lifeless souls, and given us riches from his divine treasury that are worth more than silver and gold to us.
Now, how do we proclaim what he has done for us? We give what we have received, we proclaim what we have heard, and we serve the community with the love that we have received from God. We live our faith in our families, our places of work, our schools, and our communities. We provide food for the poor, shelter for the homeless, walk with moms in need, forgive as we have been forgiven, spend time with the lonely, visit those in prison, face death with hope, and smile because of the joy in our hearts. And in so many other ways we show that our lives have been transformed by Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, who walks with us each and every day.
When the first Christians went into pagan territories, they didn’t convince people to have faith in Jesus with strong arguments alone. They also showed that Jesus, back from the dead, made a real difference in their lives. They took care of each other, the poor, and the sick. And those pagans were astounded and said, “See how they love one another.” Not only that, but when the early Christians faced death because of their faith, they went to their martyrdom with courage. And we know that it was the blood of the martyrs that was the seed of faith in the ancient world. The way the Christians loved and the way they held fast to their faith even when facing the jaws of lions convinced the world of the power of Jesus to save them as the Messiah.
So, on this Third Sunday of Advent, when people ask us, “Is Jesus the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Let us proclaim our faith with our lips, but not only that, let us show them how we worship God with devotion, live out the Christian faith in our daily lives, and serve one another and our communities with love. Let us show the world that Jesus does make a difference because we have come to know him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. We do not need to wait for another. The Messiah has come.
Have a blessed week everyone.