Gaudete (Advent III) 2017

We talk a lot about John the Baptizer being the Advent preacher par excellence because he unwaveringly preaches the message of Advent: repent.  John is the last and greatest of the Prophets, the one who gets to truly prepare the way for the Messiah, because he is the Messiah’s contemporary.  He was no longer prophesying a far-off person, someone yet to come.  As we will hear next week, John is the most blessed of the Prophets because he gets to see, hear, and touch the one of whom his brothers could only dream.  He gets to point with dripping finger to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  But interestingly enough, the first time the Lectionary introduces us to John the Baptizer he is in prison, near the end of his earthly life.  Even in prison John does his prophetic work.  Like a light hidden will find any crack it can through which is can shine, prison cannot silence John, nor can the sword of his murderers or the platter on which his head will be delivered to Herod.  John the Baptizer is proof to all of us that we can rejoice in the Lord always, even when “always” means oppression and death and everything else that threatens to undo us.

Read More