Gospel Lectio Divina for The Third Sunday of Advent - December 11, 2022
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 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. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."
As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
MEDITATE
"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
Is Jesus the answer to all my deepest questions? Or should I look elsewhere? Is his way the one true religion, or is there another way? Are all the things they say about him true? Is he the Messiah, the one sent by God, the son of God? If it is so, then I need to change my life drastically and follow him. But such imperative questions will not and cannot go quietly. Other people saying it is all true is not enough. My own experiences and movements in my heart, which are subject to my experiences, are not enough. There is only one thing that makes the truth the truth. Jesus said it: He is the truth. In saying such, as C.S. Lewis has said, he is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.
“Go and tell John what you hear and see: 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.”
To answer the followers of John, Jesus does not simply say that it is all true, that he is the one who is to come. He references his great works and miracles as proof. How do we know that all we believe is true? It’s not just because it’s in the Bible. God speaks to us through the Bible, but he also speaks to us through reality. Life is his language.
I was doubting my faith recently and started wondering if it all were true. I was starting a new endeavor where I would meet many new people, and I wondered if I should share my faith with them. I was driving home from church, doubting my faith upbringing, which is such a large part of my identity. I said a quick prayer to ask for God’s help. Just then, on the highway, I saw a billboard that read “Keep giving God praise.” Then underneath, it said, “Jesus, I trust in you” and an image of the Divine Mercy was placed under the words. Now I’m not the kind of person who thinks everyone sign about God is a sign from God, but this wasn’t just a random billboard about faith in God. It was a Catholic one. “Give praise to God” would have been generic enough for me to think little of the billboard’s message. But “Keep giving praise to God” seemed to speak directly to my situation. It was as if God was saying, “All you have been believing for all this time is true.” Not only did God affirm my faith in him, but he affirmed my Catholic faith in him, encouraging me to trust in him right then when I was reaching out to him.
God speaks with reality when he deems it to be the right time and place to do so. My experience was not a miracle, but it was akin to Jesus’ answers to John’s followers: Don’t just trust what you’ve been told. Look at the wide world around you that also affirms everything that I say and that John the Baptist says. The lame walk, leper are cleansed, etcetera. Miracles like this continue to this day. That is why the Church requires miracles before proclaiming someone a saint. When the Congregation for the Cause of Saints investigates a potential saint’s life, it’s as if they are asking our Lord, “Is this person holy, or should we look for another?” Then the Lord responds in the same way, essentially saying, “Look at the miracles. Go and tell others what you have heard and seen. Don’t just take my word for it, or that of others.”
God never leaves us alone in our search for truth. He never lets us search alone, he is always giving us a helping hand if we seek with a genuine heart. He does not leave us alone, and his constant in-your-face proof cannot be denied. That is what love does. It gives the beloved what he needs, whether the person likes it or not.
Then why did you go out?
Jesus is persistent with his questioning to invoke the crowds’ curiosity. He wants to remind them of the thirst that sent them into the desert to find John the Baptist. That thirst is what will lead them to him, the truth. It’s time for them to turn from their search for John the Baptist, because the one he spoke of has come. The true answer to their curiosity is standing in front of them.
In a similar way, we may pursue good things and find glimpses of them. We may read a book or watch a movie, and realize how good and beautiful they are. Jesus asks us as well, “Why did you watch that movie? Why did you read that book?” It’s because we wanted to experience something good and beautiful and were told we might if we watched that movie or read that book. But now, Jesus stands in front of us. We no longer have to seek out the longings of our hearts, because he is the answer to them all. Now we can take enjoyment in seeing Jesus in the things we once sought after to try and cure our longings.
PRAY
Lord,
You give great credit to John the Baptist for leading us to you, and you give credit to all things in this world that do the same. I thank you for these gifts, because without them life would be very dull. But please help me to remember that they are not ends in themselves. You gave to us all that is true, good, and beautiful in this world to help us find you. Now that I have found you, help me to be content in your presence and in your will, and to not regress back to the mere ephemeral enjoyment that comes from all these lesser things. You are the greatest gift of the Christmas season. Help me to see Advent as the anticipation of receiving such a great gift. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
Listening to John the Baptist led his followers to Jesus. Let us seek out the things and people in this world that do the same, but also remember that they are a means to reaching him, not an end in themselves. Let’s seek out beautiful music, stories, artwork, and books, and listen for the voice of John the Baptist in them, the voice of one crying out in the desert that our Savior has come. It’s not as strange as it may seem. If we listen close enough to true, good, and beautiful things, we can hear Christ whispering “I love you and I’ll never leave you alone.”
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.