THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT B

 

ADMIT AND DO NOT DENY

 

 

 

It is amazing how time moves so quickly! We were just wondering how this year’s Christmas will be celebrated, given the onslaught of the pandemic and yet, we are now on the third Sunday of preparation for this great feast!

 

The Lord is telling us that nothing should deter us from reflecting on his love in this time… in fact nothing is more important than to concentrate on God’s love in the midst of all the challenges that come to our lives today! Tuloy na tuloy ang Pasko! (Christmas will surely come!).

 

The first week of Advent invited us to prepare for life’s surprises and offer every surprise to the Lord. The second week challenged us to remove obstacles and smoothen the way for the Lord to enter into our hearts. This Sunday we are given another way to welcome Christmas – with the humility of mind and heart.

 

John the Baptist was becoming famous. People were flocking to hear his words and to gain insight to life through his powerful preaching and impressive style of life. After so long a time that there was no prophet, the people finally found one in the desert and he is attracting both the devout and the curious. Priests, Levites and Pharisees came to ask him about his identity and his mission (Jn 1:20).

 

John “admitted and did not deny” that he was not the Christ… but only an instrument preparing for the coming of the Messiah. His humility is inspiring. He could have boasted before them. He could have taken them in as admirers or followers. But John knew himself better. He “admitted and did not deny.”

 

What does this mean? Isn’t to admit not to deny? Isn’t not denying really admitting? John admitted the truth… and did not deny who he was before the truth. That is true humility because he did not defend himself; he just laid bare who he was and what his mission was about.

 

This is a point of reflection for us. This is a test of real humility. Sometimes we admit something bad or wrong we have done, but then we try to explain why we did it, why we should not be blamed. We admit but we deny the responsibility. “I took the money, but because she has been hiding it from me.” “I told a lie but because I was too afraid.” While we confess our fault, we also give reasons why we should not be found at fault. That is not humility.

 

As we prepare for Christmas, we can truly show Jesus our sincerity by admitting our sins and faults. No need to excuse ourselves, no need to explain away our deeds. Jesus understands and he knows all that. What he wants to hear is that we “admit and not deny” so that he can help us change for the better, so that he can have all the space he needs to work through our mistakes and lead us to transformation. Let us pray for true humility like John the Baptist.

 

Pls share with a friend… photo above is from the internet (thanks!)