On "Gaudete Sunday" we light the rose-colored candle, symbol of the nearness of the Lord. We wait like farmers who expect the sprouting of plants from a seed already sown. Our hope contains in itself its own realization. "In your midst is one whom you do not know", the Baptist tells his interlocutors. What the Baptist awaits is already there, though still unrecognized. The Christian who awaits the Lord, is awaiting His full manifestation as the Alpha and Omega of history. It is not as if He is not there. He is there but yet unmanifested. The Christian knows this, and so his own witness to the Lord is not without content. In fact, his witness should be for that reason filled with joy.
1. During the previous Sunday, John the Baptist was presented as an exemplar of the Church that prepares the way for the Second Coming of the Lord. And for that reason, John the Baptist is also the model of the Christian who by baptism has been empowered to evangelize through the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins in Christ.
Reflect. Forgiveness, mercy, compassion ... these are the hallmarks of the Christian life. How do you propose to make these the characteristics of your Advent-lifestyle?
2. The gospel reading from John underlines the way the Baptist looks at his own raison d'etre (reason for being), his life-project: "the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, make straight the path of the Lord".
Reflect Which bible passage would you choose to illustrate or describe your own life-project? In your diary, explain why you choose such a passage.
3. John the Baptist is like the moon. The moon has no light of its own; it reflects the light of the sun. Despite this, however, it gives light in the night; it is in a way "light".
Reflect The Christian is one who has been illumined by the light of Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:18). St. Paul writes that those receiving light have become light itself. (cf. Ephesians 5:13). In the present darkness, the Christian is light that brings hope to those in the shadows. In what practical manner can you be light for others during the Advent season?
