3rd Sunday of Advent ~ Year A
Spiritual Reflection
3rd Sunday of Advent ~ Year A (pdf)
"What did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing?...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." Mt 11:8,11
It is unusual that, regarding the necessity to lower one’s self, Christ emphasizes the one whom He himself called great…The entire greatness of this prophet was, however, that he removed himself; he was willing to cast himself into the shadows and be forgotten…
As the Gospel recounts, when John the Baptist was in prison, Jesus withdrew to Galilee. During this period, John the Baptist’s uncertainty deepened even more because he did not understand the meaning of Jesus’ deeds, about which others relayed to him in jail…
How great John’s loneliness must have been in prison. Despite this loneliness, however, the entire time he lived in the spirit of his own words: “He must increase; I must decrease.” John the Baptist wanted to decrease on behalf of Christ, even though he understood Him less and less.
Forgotten by those who had listened to him in the past, he accepted being forgotten by Jesus and he accepted that he did not fully understand Him. Deprived of Jesus’ interest in him – the very same Jesus to whom John himself had witnessed – John must have felt abandoned and forgotten not only by others, but also by the Son of God.
John’s loneliness resembles Christ’s loneliness at the Garden of Olives and His spiritual darkness on the Cross, from which He called out to the Father: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). When John died a martyr’s death, Christ’s Sacrifice had not yet happened. However, because he was abandoned and because he experienced spiritual darkness, John was able to unite himself with the Crucified Christ in the most perfect way. John prepared the Chosen People to receive Christ’s messianic message not only by his teachings, but also by the example of his life.
John the Baptist also wants to teach you something very important: in order for Christ to grow in you and in others, you must first die to yourself.
Apostolic work does not prevent us from contemplating ourselves in the pool of the pride of human regard. It does not shield us from striving to attain the recognition of others. Do you not catch yourself sometimes wanting to impress others or win their esteem? Or, are you indifferent to the fact that your words and behavior evoke others’ sympathy, respect or gratitude?
In each one of us there is a very strong desire to gain the approval of others, to be noticed by them, and to be held in their high esteem. The human I demands that it be in first place. It continuously wants to reflect its own ideal image in the eyes of others, and it does not want to be small like a child. If you do not oppose these aspirations, then you are taking the place that belongs to Christ; you conceal Him within yourself.
Meanwhile, John the Baptist teaches that the greatest joy for an apostle is to see that Chris increases while he or she decreases on behalf of Him.
It is not easy to decrease and disappear in such a way that nobody will remember or miss you. St. John the Baptist spoke about rejoicing greatly when his disciples and the multitude of his flock abandoned him to follow Jesus. However, the opposite aspirations are within each person.
Our apostolate, nevertheless, becomes authentic and fruitful only to the degree to which we do not allow our I to occupy the place belonging only to Christ.
If you want your human heart to open up before the One Who is knocking, then you cannot occupy His place. You must decrease. You must convert and become like a child (cf. Mt 18:3). Only then will Christ increase in you and in the persons to whom you want to give Him.
S. C. Biela, Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock, pp. 104-108
References from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
2547 The Lord grieves over the rich, because they find their consolation in the abundance of goods.341 "Let the proud seek and love earthly kingdoms, but blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."342 Abandonment to the providence of the Father in heaven frees us from anxiety about tomorrow.343 Trust in God is a preparation for the blessedness of the poor. They shall see God.
Questions for Reflection
1. In my daily life, what is my reaction to the experience of being lonely or left out?
2. Do I consider a lack of notice or approval from others a stepping stone or stumbling block in becoming an instrument of God’s work? Why?
3. Pondering the life of Mary, how can she be an example and a role model for me so that Christ may increase and I may decrease?
Prayer after Sharing
Thank you, God, for allowing me to see the truth about my weaknesses and how it calls upon the abyss of your merciful Love.
