No Shame, No Blame

Third Sunday of Advent
16 December 2007


First reading Isaiah 35:1 - 10
Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult,
let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,
let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil,
let it rejoice and sing for joy.

The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it,
the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they shall see the glory of the Lord,
the splendour of our God.

Strengthen all weary hands,
steady all trembling knees
and say to all faint hearts,
‘Courage! Do not be afraid.

‘Look, your God is coming,
vengeance is coming,
the retribution of God;
he is coming to save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
the ears of the deaf unsealed,
then the lame shall leap like a deer
and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy.

They will come to Zion shouting for joy,
everlasting joy on their faces;
joy and gladness will go with them
and sorrow and lament be ended.

Second reading James 5:7 - 10
Now be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example, brothers, in submitting with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Gospel Matthew 11:2 - 11
John in his prison had heard what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?’ Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me’.

As the messengers were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says:
Look, I am going to send my messenger before you;
he will prepare your way before you.

‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.’



Reflection
By Nicola S. Albano

Each one of us is called to ask ourselves how faithful we are. What role does Jesus play in our lives? This is very important so that we may truly accept Him in our hearts especially this Christmas. We must always remember the true meaning of Christmas. It is not all about the gifts and the festivities. We are called to prepare a clean heart which serves as a manger for the Infant Jesus to be reborn within us.

No shame, no blame. Remember that God heals and forgives. He came down from heaven to save us all. And we need to be humble and learn to accept that. We cannot control everything on our own hands and that requires that we be humble and have faith in Him.

Maybe if you are very knowledgeable about the multitude of hats that Jesus wore (Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, etc.) having been raised a religious person and reciting the litany, of course you can answer the question "Who is Jesus to you?" like a knee-jerk reflex. But, the winning answer is Jesus' role based on how He takes part in your daily life, ergo your personal relationship with God.