Third Sunday of Advent
Our first reading and Gospel today focus on a mission. In the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah, we hear the mission statement that Jesus Himself will give as He preaches in the synagogue at Nazareth. Jesus tells them, as Isaiah told Israel, that God has sent Him “to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God.” That’s definitely a mission from God, and a pretty good one!
Our Gospel, too, makes clear that St. John the Baptist was “sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” We heard about St. John the Baptist, also called the Precursor, last week in our Gospel. The Precursor is a man on a mission, to prepare the way for Jesus. He is not the Messiah, as some had started to think, but wants everyone in Israel to be ready for the Messiah.
We, too, are called to be people on mission. We, like Jake and Elwood, are on a mission from God. I have used this quote before, but St. John Henry Newman wrote:
God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission….He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place.
God has given us each a mission, a call, and it’s something that no one else can do like we can. Can we respond to that call?
Many times when we think of a call, we think of priests and consecrated men and women like monks and brothers, nuns and sisters. But all of us are called, by baptism, to be on mission for God. Many are called to be on mission as a wife or mother, husband or father. Others are called to serve as a priest or deacon, or be in a religious community. Some women are called to be consecrated virgins. But all are called to advance the Gospel to others.
How do we recognize our call? Prayer is key. A call is something that we choose, but to which God first invites us. We make a deliberate choice to follow the urging of the Holy Spirit in our life. Imagine how silly it would sound if I said I chose to be a priest simply because no one else wanted me. Probably not a great way to start the seminary interview with the bishop. Instead, a call is something to which we are driven. A wife (hopefully) doesn’t agree to marry someone simply because no one else will have her. She finds a man who cares for her, who puts her needs above his own, who wants to work with her to build a family according to God’s plan. She chooses to love him because she senses that they are meant to become saints together. And through daily prayer, taking time in silence to hear the voice of God, we learn what God wants for us.
Sometimes our idea of the call develops or changes. I didn’t always want to be a priest. I wanted to be married, have a few kids, a couple of dogs, a really nice house and car, and work either in the military, or as a lawyer, and then maybe a politician (don’t let that last part lessen your opinion of me!). But through prayer, I came to sense that I could only be truly happy as a priest. Of course, the Church had something to say about it, too. It wasn’t simply that I wanted a particular vocation. But with the formation that the Church provided, and the “yes” that the Church spoke through her leaders, I came to be confirmed in what I felt God wanted me to do. Sometimes our understanding of our mission changes or develops.
Another key part of our mission is that we don’t replace the Messiah. An older priest once told me that his spiritual director had counseled him when he became all-too-convinced of his own importance, “The Church already has a Messiah; we don’t need you!” Our mission is to cooperate with God, not to take His place. So many people feel that they can decide what they want to do, rather than God; that they can define what happiness will be–whom they can marry, how many kids they need to have, how they should spend their money–without any consideration of what God wants. God has made the world a certain way, and has taught us, through the Scriptures and the Church, what truly makes us happy. When we choose other than that, we are in an exercise of futility; we cannot be happy doing the things that God has said will not give us true happiness.
Some of you may feel, due to age or other factors, that you have already accomplished your mission because you know your vocation. But, as long as you are alive, you still are on mission. You can continue to spread the Gospel through your children, your grandchildren, and others. You can offer suffering to Jesus on the cross for an intention. You can continue to help others know the joy you have from your relationship with Jesus. Don’t let COVID give you the blues. You are on a mission from God!
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| St. John Henry Newman |
