Dear brothers and sisters,

We are getting into the spirit and the joy of Christmas. In fact, the third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday.” Gaudete means ‘Rejoice.’  St. Paul reminds us “rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!! Let’s rejoice for the coming of our Redeemer, and we are called to share this joy with others, giving comfort and spreading hope.

This joyful spirit is marked by lightning the third candle of our Advent wreath which is “pink.” The colour reminds us of the image of the very brink of morning when the sun is just beginning to come up. The horizon takes on a pale rose colour that gradually gets redder and brighter as the sun rises. This beautiful image reminds us of Jesus, the rising sun is near. Let’s rejoice and be glad!

The Gospel reading of this Gaudete Sunday presents us with one of the most moving questions, asked by one of the greatest prophets, John the Baptist: “Are you the one who is to come or have we got to wait for someone else? Being in the prison, John needs to make sure that his work is done; to prepare the way for the Messiah, and point out to people the right Messiah.

The feeling behind John’s question is that: is Jesus really the right Messiah as expected by many? At that point, it seems like there’s no sign of revolutionary work from Jesus to restore the kingdom of Israel. There’s no movement that Jesus gathers all the people to plan the strategy to confront against the Romans. Instead, paradoxically he gathers only twelve disciples for him, but not strong battalion of armies. It seems that Jesus would not meet the people’s expectation of the Messiah and at the same time Jewish people did not expect a Messiah like Jesus. Many wondered, is he the one who is to come?

In the midst of this confusing situation, John sends his disciples to find out whether Jesus is the one or not. To his surprise, Jesus doesn’t give the direct answer to John. Instead, Jesus replied “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receives their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” Jesus didn’t answer Jhon directly. Jesus could have just responded to John “Yes, I’m the one.” Instead, Jesus asked John to hear and see!! We wonder why?

First of all, Jesus wants to encourage faith! Jesus doesn’t answer John’s question, but instead invites John to look at the clues or the signs of Jesus’ work; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. Jesus is kind of telling John by quoting the prophecy of Isiah in the year 700 BC regarding to the Messiah: “…then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. The lame man will leap like deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing…(Isaiah 35: 5-6). It’s very clear that Jesus’s ministry of healing fulfills the prophecy.

For us, Advent is the time to deepen our faith. We may have plenty of questions about what’s happening in our lives. We may have all the doubts. However, Jesus invites us to look around. What are the clues of God’s presence in our lives. What are the clues of his blessings in our lives?  Can we see clearly the evidence of God’s presence in our lives? This advent season invites us once again to discern where is God’s presence in the daily events of our lives.

Secondly, Jesus’ response is both to comfort and re-direct John and his disciples. When we reflect on John’s question to Jesus, we can easily say that John also has the period of doubt. We know that John is the one who declared Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He also famously said that Jesus must become greater, and I become less. Certainly, John the Baptist recognise Jesus to be the Messiah and have faith in Him. However, to our surprise, John is also the one who ask whether or not Jesus is the one to come or would we expect someone else?

Just like Thomas, John also experienced the period of doubt. He is in prison; waiting to be executed. John is in a desperate situation. He might expect Jesus as the Messiah to set him free from the hands of Herod. In reality, it’s not. Here, we can also feel John’s real struggle; there had been many false prophets in Israel. And so, did he point the right one or not? What happened if he points out to people the wrong one, the false Messiah? These questions may fill John’s mind because obviously Jesus’ ministry wasn’t exactly what John had always imagined the Messiah would look like.

 In the midst of this situation, Jesus comforts and re-directs John’s expectation of Messiah. Yes, the Kingdom of God that Jesus promote is nothing to do with Roman’s occupation. Through his answer, Jesus reminds John and his disciples to change their preconception of what they think the Messiah should be, because the Messiah is already among them, in Jesus.

For us, just like John, in the painful circumstances, we doubt. Hence, through this Advent’s season, Jesus reminds us again and again “happy is the one who does not lose faith in me.” Let’s renew again our faith in this Advent season!! Let’s also redirect again our preparation for Christmas; to focus on Jesus. Let’s rediscover a more authentic joy that we find in Jesus; a joy that touches our innermost being, as we await Jesus, who is already with us. God is so close to us. So, our joy, as we celebrate the Gaudete Sunday, springs from this certainty: God is close to us, he is with me, he is with us, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, in all circumstances. This joy endures, even in trials or in the experience of suffering. This joy does not remain only on the surface, in the level of our emotions, but it dwells and rest in the depths of our inmost hearts. Let’s continue our advent journey with full of faith and joy!