IV.O.T. Mal 3: 1-4; Heb 2: 14-18; Lk 2: 22-40

PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.

The birth of Christ was revealed by three kinds of witnesses in three different ways -- first, by the shepherds, after the angel's announcement; second, by the Magi, who were guided by a star; third, by Simeon and Anna, who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Today’s Gospel describes the Presentation of the Baby Jesus in the Temple.  The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus is a combined feast, commemorating the Jewish practice of the purification of the mother after childbirth and the presentation of the child in the Temple.

” According to Leviticus 12:2-8, a woman who bore a child was unclean  for forty days following the birth of a son or eighty days following the birth of a daughter.   Exodus 13:2, 12-13 prescribes that every first-born male belongs to God and must be set apart for the Lord, that is, dedicated to the service of God.   The Book of Numbers 18: 15 taught that since every Jewish firstborn male child belonged to Yahweh, the parents had to “buy back” (redeem), the child by offering a lamb or turtledoves as a sacrifice in the Temple.

These are the rituals that St. Luke describes in today's Gospel passage. One of the rituals consisted in a new mother offering a sacrifice to God, to symbolize her awareness that, by bringing new life into the world, she participated in a special way in God’s own holiness and power. Usually, this sacrifice consisted of offering a lamb and a pigeon.

But St. Luke explains that Mary offers two pigeons instead of the normal combination. This tells us something important about Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. A stipulation of the Jewish law allowed an offering of two pigeons for those families too poor to afford a lamb (pigeons cost much less than lambs). 

Jesus, became a member of a normal, humble, working class family. By this, God wants us to know that true, lasting happiness doesn't come from having a lot of money, or things, or achievements, or celebrity. If those things were the secret to meaning and happiness, then Jesus would have been born into luxury and comfort. Real happiness comes from a kind of wealth that no one sees, the wealth of a heart set on knowing and loving God.

This is why the Church has always spoken of the virtue of poverty: it is the virtue by which we recognize that our relationship with God is infinitely more valuable than anything else. When Jesus summarized his formula for happiness and spiritual maturity, he began by saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 5:3).

The virtue of poverty is not misery; it is interior detachment from material things, which is why he says, "blessed are the poor in spirit." This is the formula for true meaning and happiness - not money, but love: loving God and loving our neighbor.

Today's memorial of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple doesn't usually fall on a Sunday.

But whatever day of the week it does usually fall on, it is associated with a long-standing tradition of celebrating the special vocation to the consecrated life. In fact, almost every year on February 2nd, the Pope celebrates a special liturgy in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, to which he invites all the members of religious orders and other consecrated men and women who are living in Rome. Usually, thousands of them come together for the celebration. The vocation to the consecrated life is associated with today's Gospel passage, because when men or women consecrate their lives entirely to the service of God and the Church, they are offering themselves in a way similar to how Mary and Joseph consecrated Jesus. They present themselves to God, in response to a call that they feel deep in their hearts, and surrender their lives entirely to him, promising to live in poverty, chastity, and obedience for their whole lives.

In the first reading Malachi said, suddenly the Lord will appear in the temple. And when he did, he did in  the form of a poor little baby. Simeon had the wisdom to recognize him as salvation prepared for the world and light for the gentiles.

We are also called to look for God’s presence not just in the Church, but all around us, God presenting himself in poverty and weakness. Am I able to recognize him as Simeon and Anna did ?

And as parents and grandparents we are called to raise our children and grandchildren every day to God and consecrate them for the service of God.

Every Holy Mass in which we participate is our presentation. Although we were officially presented to God on the day of our Baptism, we present ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our Father through our Savior Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass. Hence, we need to live our daily lives with the awareness both that we are dedicated people consecrated to God and that we are obliged to lead holy lives and facilitate others to become holy as well. Thus we may be able to exclaim like Simeon at the dusk of our life: Now master, let your servant go in peace, today my eyes have seen your salvation.

II.O.T.(A)     Is 49. 3: 5-6; I Cor 1: 1-3; Jn 1: 29-34

A tourist visited a church in Germany and was surprised to see the carved figure of a lamb near the top of the church's tower. He asked why it was there and was told that when the church was being built, a workman fell from a high scaffold. His co-workers rushed down, expecting to find him dead. But to their surprise and joy, he was alive and only slightly injured. How did he survive? A flock of sheep was passing beneath the tower at the time, and he landed on top of a lamb. The lamb broke his fall and was crushed to death, but the man was saved. To commemorate that miraculous escape, someone carved a lamb on the tower at the exact height from which the workman had fallen.  That expresses a tiny bit of what John means when he says, "Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world". The same sense is indicated in Isaiah's Servant song in the first reading, which prophesies that God will make Messiah, his Servant a light to the nations, that God’s salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."  There are four servant songs in Second Isaiah which connects the Messiah’s mission to die for the sins of the world. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter" (53:5). 

The phrase 'Lamb of God' runs through John’s gospel from beginning to end.  John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the Jews as the “Lamb of God”. "Lamb of God" is the most meaningful title given to Jesus in the Bible.  It is used 29 times in the book of Revelation.  It sums up the love, the sacrifice and the triumph of Christ.  John’s introduction probably brought several pictures of the “lamb” in the mind of his Jewish listeners. 

1) The Paschal Lamb (Ex. 12: 11ff), whose blood saved the first born of the Jewish families in Egypt from the Angel of destruction."  This lamb reminded them also of the Paschal Lamb which they killed every year on the Passover Feast.  The Pasch dinner consists of eating a lamb.

2) The Lamb of Atonement (Lev. 16: 20-22).  A lamb was brought to the Temple on the Day of Atonement.  Placing his hands over its head, the high priest confessed over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task, to be killed by some wild animals.

3) The Lamb of Daily Atonement (Ex. 29: 38-42; Numbers 28: 1-8). This was the lamb sacrificed on the “Black Altar” of the Temple every morning and evening to atone for the sins of the Jews.

When Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac on mount Moriah, Isaac asked him we have the fire and the wood, where is the lamb of sacrifice. Abraham responded, God will give us. And Jesus was that lamb of sacrifice God gave to take away our sins. The book of Hebrews says no sins will be forgiven without shedding blood. We don’t know why ? But it is. That is why Jesus had to become a lamb to save us from our sins.

In the Eucharist, at "the    breaking of the bread", which signifies the death of Jesus on the cross, we proclaim in word or song what the Baptist said, the Agnus Dei. He emptied every drop of his blood through the wounds in his body to save us. That is why at that very moment we sing the Lamb of God. Then after that the celebrant breaks a piece of bread and mingles in the sacred wine, signifying, the resurrection of Jesus- which is called co-mingling, blood joined with the body, getting life back. And we receive the resurrected Jesus as our companion to come with us and live with us the rest of the day.

Even in the beginning of the Mass, in the Gloria, the song of the angels, we sung: lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. So the Mass is all about celebrating Jesus as the Lamb of God.  It is said that shepherds used to rear special kind of lambs in Bethlehem to be offered in the temple. Because they had to be without faults. And it is said that Jesus was born in a manger that had this special faultless kind of lambs housed. He became like us in all things, except sin.

In John's gospel this theme is expertly woven into the story.  The ancient instructions for killing and eating the Passover lamb said, "You must not break any bone of it" (Exodus 12:46).  And so, John says, the soldiers did not break Jesus' legs as he hung on the Cross but pierced him instead with a lance. John also mentions that Jesus was hung on the cross exactly the same time the Pascal lamb was slain in the temple.  Later, near the end of the century, in John's apocalyptic vision he saw "between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered" (Rev. 5:6) -  that is, dead and raised up again.  

It is interesting to see Jesus through the eyes of these two men named John – the Baptist and the Evangelist. Both of them depict Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

When we say or sing, “Lamb of God” we are challenged by the Church to remember what Jesus did for us and what he has empowered us to do for others.  We are reminded that joining Jesus in sacrificial love is the only way we can be his followers. We are also challenged to die like a sacrificial lamb by sharing our blessings of health, wealth and talents with others in the family, parish and community. 

 Jesus Christ is the lamb who takes away the sin of the world, which has been immolated to give us Grace. Let us fight to always live by Grace, to fight against sin, and help the lamb to save the world of its sins.

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD.  Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Today is the feast of Epiphany. The Greek word Epiphany means appearance or manifestation. This Feast of the Epiphany celebrates Jesus’ first appearance to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi. Who were these Magi ? The word ‘magi’ is translated here as “wise men.”  ‘Magus’ meant different things: a magus was a member of the Persian priestly caste; or one who possessed occult knowledge and power (this is the origin of our word ‘magic’).  They were, basically, the "scientists" of the ancient world. They were like the scholars and professors of ancient times. But instead of working in universities, they usually worked for kings. A king would finance his own group of scholars, using them as consultants and translators, and also to enhance his kingdom's reputation.  King Herod consulted the Jewish magi or scholars to tell him the place and time of the Savior’s birth.

The Orthodox Church holds that the Magi consisted of twelve Kings, corresponding in number to the twelve tribes of Israel.   Commentary on the Torah by Jewish rabbis suggested that a star appeared in the sky at the births of Abraham, Isaac and Moses.  Likewise, in the Book of Numbers, the prophet Balaam speaks of "a star that shall come out of Jacob."  Stars were believed to be signs from God, announcing important events.  

We know what their coming meant, theologically speaking - it shows that Jesus Christ was not just another Jewish prophet. The Magi were "from the east" - they were not Jews. And yet, they came to worship Jesus. This shows that Christ was the promised Savior of the entire world, of both the Jews and the Gentiles.

While Jesus’ mission was first to the lost sheep of Israel, it was not to be exclusively for them. Jesus would tell his Apostles: Go out into all the world and preach the good news. The good news of salvation is “catholic” – a word that comes from the Greek language which means universal. If Salvation is “catholic”, then the Church which Jesus founded to preach the good news of salvation must necessarily be Catholic as well. 

Our unity is not founded on race or language or nation of origin – rather it is founded on Christ. We acknowledge one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism as Paul tells.

The adoration of the Magi fulfills the oracle of Isaiah (first reading), prophesying that the nations of the world will travel to the Holy City following a brilliant light and will bring gold and incense to contribute to the worship of God.

The presence of the searchers of this new born king really startled king Herod. Herod was one of history’s great tyrants: he spared no one, not even his own family; to keep his grip on power he murdered his wife, three of his sons, his brother-in-law, an uncle, and even his mother-in-law.  He had been appointed “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate in 40 BC and he had already reigned for over thirty years.  He was in no mind to hear of a new king, especially one who was no son of his. “He was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.”  He was frightened to hear of a rival, and the people were frightened because they knew what he was capable of.  

The scribes, Pharisees and the Jewish priests knew that there were nearly 500 prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the promised Messiah.  They were able to tell Herod the exact time and place of Jesus’ birth.    Unfortunately, they were more interested in their own selfish gains than in discovering the truth. Hence, they refused to go and see the child Jesus -- even though Bethlehem was only 6 miles south of Jerusalem.  They were totally engrossed in their Temple rituals and legal discussions that they completely disregarded Jesus. He meant nothing to them. Even today there are many among us who disregard Jesus. He is considered as a noble person to be worshiped and adored. But he is not given any role in their personal lives. Today many Christians remind us of this group.   They practice their religion from selfish motives, such as to gain political power, prestige and recognition by society.  

The only group that came to worship the savior was the Shepherds and Magi. The shepherds offered the only gifts they had: love, tears of joy, and probably woolen clothes and milk from their sheep.  The Magi offered gold, in recognition of Jesus as the King of the Jews; frankincense, in acknowledgment that He was God, and myrrh as a symbol of His human nature. 

This feast invites us to see ourselves as images of the Magi, a people on a journey to Christ. In our journey to Christ, what he needs is not what we have, but what we are. Our total self, our sins and our virtues, our strength and our weaknesses, our sufferings and sorrows , Our talents and efforts.

Today, when we receive our Lord again in Holy Communion, let's lay at his feet whatever will please him most, whatever he is asking for, so that we may share the joy and peace of the magi who travelled long thirsting for the Savior of the world.

Feast of the Holy Family :Sir 3:2-6, 12-14, Col: 3:12-21, Mat: 2:13-15, 19-23).

Pope Francis said that as a child, he heard a story of a family with a mother, father, many children and a grandfather. The grandfather, suffering from Parkinson’s illness, would drop food on the dining table, and smear it all over his face when he ate. His son considered it disgusting. Hence, one day he bought a small table and set it off to the side of the dining hall so the grandfather would eat, make a mess and not disturb the rest of the family. One day, the Pope said, the grandfather’s son came home and found one of his sons playing with a piece of wood. “What are you making?” he asked his son. “A table,” the son replies. “Why?” the father asks. “It’s for you, Dad, when you get old like grandpa, I am going to give you this table.” Ever since that day, the grandpa was given a prominent seat at the dining table and all the help he needed in eating by his son and daughter-in-law. “This story has done me such good throughout my life,” said the Pope, who celebrated his 77th birthday on December 17. “Grandparents are a treasure,” he said. There is sickness and all that, but the wisdom our grandparents have is something we must welcome as an inheritance.” A society or community that does not value, respect and care for its elderly members “doesn’t have a future because it has no memory, it’s lost its memory,” Pope Francis added.

On the last Sunday of the year, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.  The first reading is a commentary on the fourth commandment: "Honor your father and your mother."  When a child obeys his parents, he will have his sins forgiven, his prayers heard, and will himself be blessed with children. Sirach counsels us to be good to our parents in their old age, even when their minds fail!

Paul, in the letter to the Colossians, advises us that we should put on love and remain thankful in our relationships with one another. The reading says that if the parents fail to do what is right and just in the sight of God, they can hardly complain if their children turn out disobedient to God and to them. The young learn more from example than from precept.

Holy- means healthy. A family can grow healthy only on the key virtues of forgiveness and patience. "Put on... patience," St Paul writes, "bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do."

There is no way to create an atmosphere of forgiveness without being ready to ask for forgiveness. The best gift we can give our families is to make a commitment to always be the first one to say "I'm sorry" whenever there is the slightest need. That little phrase is like super-glue for family relationships.

 A senior Judge of the Supreme Court congratulated the bride and groom in a marriage with a pertinent piece of advice: “See that you never convert your family into a courtroom; instead let it be a confessional. If the husband and wife start arguing like attorneys in an attempt to justify their behavior, their family becomes a court of law and nobody wins.  On the other hand, if the husband and the wife -- as in a confessional -- are ready to admit their faults and try to correct them, the family becomes a heavenly one.”

Today's Gospel described for us a family on the run, suffering, struggling just to survive. God permits hardships, because he knows that hardships can bring us closer to him. When we face the hardships of family life with courage, we grow in virtue and glorify God better, because we have a chance to love more heroically.

Jesus did not come to a protected life, but he came to the life that any ordinary man must live.  He experienced the hardships of the people who are forced to leave their home and kinsmen; he can very well relate to the problems of refugees. He experienced the problems of an ordinary workman, while working as a carpenter in Nazareth; and He experienced the pangs of death when his foster father died.

When we try to give a struggle free life for our children we do not give them any chance to experience the world in which they live. When we try to provide them the best education, they ignore the illiteracy around. When we struggle to provide them the best food, they are unaware of the poverty that exists around them. When we want to give them the best of everything, they do not see the suffering in the world. So, never hesitate to let our children go through struggles, but help them go through it. It will strengthen them as mature human beings. Family life, truly is the school where we learn to color in the outline of the image of God in which we were created.

At a time when many families are breaking up and breaking down all over, the Holy Family presents itself as our source of great hope and consolation. There is perhaps no other way to keep each family intact and moving onwards except through the virtue of sheer self-sacrifice and self-giving for each other in the family.

May the Holy Family intercede for all families that they may remain one and united in the model of Holy Family of Nazareth.

CHRISTMAS.-2013

A grade school class was putting on a Christmas play which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. In that class was one little boy who wanted very much to be Joseph. But when the parts were handed out, his biggest rival was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn keeper instead. He was really bitter about this.

So during all the rehearsals he kept plotting in his mind what he might do the night of performance to get even with his rival who was Joseph. Finally, the night of the performance, Mary and Joseph came walking across the stage. They knocked on the door of the inn, and the inn-keeper opened the door and asked them gruffly what they wanted.

Joseph answered, "We’d like to have a room for the night." Suddenly the inn-keeper threw the door open wide and said, "Great, come on in and I’ll give you the best room in the house."

For a few seconds poor little Joseph didn’t know what to do, and a long silence ensued. Finally thinking quickly on his feet, Joseph looked in past the inn-keeper, first to the left and then to the right and said, "No wife of mine is going to stay in a dump like this. Come on, Mary, let’s go to the barn." And once again the play was back on course.

In the beginning of creation, Satan tried to sabotage God’s plan for the creation, using innocent Adam and Eve as victims. As a result God had to rewrite rest of the story to reach the final climax he had intended. For that, God himself had to play the major role in the newly rewritten script. Christmas is the celebration of that role God played in the story of human history.

Jesus, the Incarnation of God as man, came to save us from the bondage of sin. The Hindu Scriptures in India describe ten incarnations of God. The purpose of these incarnations stated in their Holy Scripture is to restore righteousness in the world whenever there is a large scale erosion of moral values. But the Christian Scriptures teach that there was only one, only one Incarnation of God, and the reason is stated in John 3: 16: “God so loved the world that he sent His only Son so that every one who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life.”  God had promised the coming of his son into the world through several prophets. Jesus is the only one who came into human history who fulfilled all the conditions of those prophesies of Messiah. The gospel of Mathew itself quotes 11 of those prophesies being fulfilled in Jesus. The purpose of incarnation of Jesus was not just to die on the cross and save us from sins, if that were the only purpose, he would have come down on earth a week before the crucifixion and save us from our sins. It also had a purpose to show us how to live a normal human life amid trials and tribulations and be obedient to God’s will.

Christmas is the feast of the Emmanuel -God-with-us, God who continues to live with us in all the events of our lives as announced by the Archangel Gabriel. The Christmas story tells us that there is a way out of our sinfulness and hopelessness, because God is with us. There is a mighty God within us to strengthen us in our weaknesses and temptations, and he will fight for us from within our human nature.

Christmas tells that to find Jesus we need look for Jesus in unlikely places and persons. The magi looked for him in the likely place: the palace of Herod. But they found him in the most unlikely place: the manger. Today we can find him also in the most unlikely places –   in the streets, in slums, in asylums, in orphanages, in nursing homes – starting in our own homes, workplaces and town.

Pope Francis said "God abases himself, descends to earth as someone small and poor, which means that to be like him we should not put ourselves above others, but on the contrary, abase ourselves, give ourselves in service, make ourselves small with the small and poor with the poor,".  He continues: "It is an ugly thing when one sees a Christian who will not abase himself, who will not serve, a Christian who struts about vainly everywhere,"  "That is not Christian, that is pagan." He added.

Today Jesus will come to us again in the Eucharist. Just as he came into the world on the first Christmas, quietly, gently, helplessly, entrusting himself to Mary's care, so he comes to us in Holy Communion, quietly, gently, helplessly, entrusting himself to our care. Christmas reminds us that we have to allow this God of unconditional love to be reborn in us and to start living in us.

He comes into our lives in order to invite us to come into His life, to follow him all the way to heaven. This Christmas, will we take up God's gentle invitation and let Christ come further into our lives? Will we agree to follow him more closely, even if it means leaving our comfort zones behind?

Let’s pray to the newly born divine king to give us the  courage to abase ourselves and to risk our self-sufficiency and comfort for the sake of proclaiming his kingdom of peace on earth. 

IV- Advent- Is 7: 10- 14; Rom 1: 1-7; Mt 1: 18-24  

The story of the Virgin Birth is at the heart of our Christmas celebrations.   In the first reading, God gives a sign through the prophet Isaiah to  King Ahaz of Judah: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (Isaiah 7: 14).  Matthew considers this one of the most descriptive and definite prophecies foretelling the future messianic king, Christ, to be born as a descendant of David. Today’s Gospel, from Matthew, focuses on the person and role of Joseph.

The Angel of God comes to Joseph three times in dreams. In each instance, the angel calls Joseph to action and Joseph obeys.  He doesn't have a speaking part.  In this first instance, the angel commands Joseph to take Mary as his wife.   In Mt 2:13, the angel tells Joseph to take the mother and child to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath.  At Herod’s death angel tells Joseph to return to Israel.  The angel begins by saying, "Joseph, son of David," alerting us to Joseph's lineage.  It is through Joseph that Jesus will be of the house and lineage of David.  Mary's role is to bear a son, and Joseph's role is to name him.  By naming him, Joseph makes Jesus his son and brings him into the house of David. Joseph’s hallmark is obedience -- prompt, simple, and unspectacular obedience.

Jewish marriage started with an engagement arranged by parents, often between children.  Prior to marriage, couples began a year-long betrothal very much like marriage except for sexual rights.  Betrothal was binding and could be terminated only by death or divorce.  A person whose betrothed had died was considered to be a widow or widower. Joseph found that Mary was pregnant without his knowledge.  Now, the law required that Mary be stoned to death, because she would have been considered an unfaithful wife, and the baby would have been stoned to death with her.  In Deuteronomy 22:23-24, the penalty for adultery was death by stoning at the door of her father’s house as she had disgraced her father. From his perspective Joseph is in a dilemma. He cares for Mary, his betrothed, but she is with child. This is very difficult for him and he is facing a serious embarrassment both for himself and for Mary.

Sooner or later, every one of us comes up against the rough side of life like Joseph, and we have to face big problems. Dr. J. A. Hadfield, noted British psychologist, commented on this when he said, "When people run up against life and find it too much for them, one swears, one gets a headache, one gets drunk, and one prays"

When life gets hard, what do we do? Do we give up and lose faith in God like king Ahaz ? Do we swear? Do we lash out in hostility? Do we try to find someone to blame? Do we give in to bitterness? Do we run away? Do we hide behind some illness? Do we drug ourselves ? Or, do we pray? Do we consider the problem prayerfully and then listen to God? That’s what Joseph did, and it worked.

What a great lesson to learn from Joseph: the art of listening! May be this is why Jesus went often into the wilderness alone to do some praying and listening. Perhaps he learned from father Joseph how to listen for God’s will. Joseph was big enough to listen. Even when it was hard to do, Joseph listened and heard God’s command. Then he had the courage to act, to obey, to do God’s will…

If Joseph had not cooperated with God’s action in human history, the birth of Jesus would have been quite different. The witness of Joseph calls us to cooperate with God’s work in today’s world. It calls us to respond to God’s action among us.

Joseph, not having all of the evidence and knowledge of the future, decided to do more than law and custom required. He elected to do more than was expected of him. He let justice and compassion guide his decision about his pregnant betrothed. He was pulled, not by the strength of custom, but by the law of love.

Instead of trying to expose the weakness of Mary, Joseph was able to tolerate the weakness of Mary in silence. Do we have the courage and goodwill to tolerate the weakness of others as Joseph did ?

Like Joseph, instead of relying on our own schemes to get us through life, let us trust in God and be strengthened by talking to Him in fervent prayer and by listening to Him speaking through the Bible. Let us remain faithful and prayerful, imitating Joseph and Mary, welcoming Jesus into our hearts and lives this Christmas. 

III- Advent: Is 35:1-6, 10; Jas 5:7-10; Mt 11: 2- 11

Today's Gospel describes how Isaiah's vision of Israel's glorious future is fulfilled unexpectedly by the coming of the promised Messiah and by his healing and preaching mission. But the Jews in general expected a political Messiah who would reestablish the Davidic kingdom after overthrowing the Roman government. Hence, most of them were scandalized by Jesus’ peaceful preaching and shameful death. The disciples of John the Baptist continued to insist that John was indeed the Messiah, and they awaited his return, causing problems to early Christians. Hence, all four Evangelists highlighted John’s important role as the Messiah’s herald but emphasized that John had a secondary and subordinate role in salvation history. Matthew, in the second part of today’s Gospel, presents Jesus as paying  the highest compliments to John the Baptist as his herald and the last of the prophets.

John the Baptist is almost a New Testament figure; he is a kind of honorary member of the new community.  The Church does not refer to Isaiah or Jeremiah or any of the great prophets as ‘Saint’, but we call John ‘Saint John the Baptist’.  Yet, as Jesus said to the crowd, “the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” The kingdom of heaven was inaugurated by Jesus, not by John.

Scripture scholars over the centuries have wondered why John sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he were the one who was to come. There are two possible explanations: 1) John knew that Jesus was the Christ and, as a prisoner, he wanted his disciples to follow Jesus as their new master. So he sent them to ask Jesus this question and presumed that, once they had met Jesus, they would see for themselves that he was the Messiah and so would become followers of Jesus.

2. John the Baptizer became confused about the way in which Jesus acted out his messiahship. He had doubts about the validity of his contemporary, Jesus of Nazareth. John had said that he came to baptize with water, and that the one following him would baptize with "fire from heaven." So, where was the fire? So far there wasn't even smoke. So far, the Pharisees and Sadducees were still in charge of the faith, and Rome was still in charge of the government. In fact, instead of bringing in the kingdom, Jesus had kept pretty quiet up north in Galilee while John got himself arrested and thrown into one of Herod's dungeons on a mountaintop down by the Dead Sea. That might make a person ask some questions. Is this any way for a Messiah to behave?
He may have been wondering why the expected Messiah was not setting him free as Isaiah (61:1) had predicted. John may have found sympathetic doubters among his own disciples who might have wondered how the Messiah could leave their own teacher in prison, and how He could usher in the kingdom without political or military might.  This may have been why John sent his disciples to dispel his doubt, asking: "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 

Instead of criticizing Jesus or breaking away from him, John approached Jesus through his disciples.   John may have had his doubts, but he was open to hearing Jesus say that he was, indeed, the one! John must have recognized the scriptural allusions behind Jesus' answer.  Isaiah 29:18 speaks of the deaf hearing and the blind seeing.  Isaiah 35:6 speaks of the lame leaping like a deer.  Isaiah 26:19 speaks of the dead becoming alive.  Isaiah 61:1 speaks of good news for the oppressed, the brokenhearted, captives and prisoners.  These were signs of the Messiah's coming.  

Jesus could have rebuked John for his doubts, but instead offered him a blessing.  Jesus had not lived up to John's expectations, but John did not allow that to be a stumbling block.  Complimenting John, Jesus says that John is the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1 ("See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me"), presenting the Baptist as the end-time messenger, the forerunner of the Messiah.  

  From a theological perspective, this entire episode helps us to understand how the experience of a faith crisis can play a role in our spiritual and emotional development. If John the Baptist, even after having had a direct encounter with Jesus the Messiah, could question, doubt and revise his faith, then so can we.  If disillusionment is a necessary precondition for a more resilient faith, then we, too, must be open to its possibilities .

        
Did Jesus fail to come when we rubbed the lantern?
Then perhaps Jesus is not a genie.

Did Jesus fail to punish our enemies?
Then perhaps Jesus is not a cop.

Did Jesus fail to make everything run smoothly?
Then perhaps Jesus is not a mechanic.

But, he is the lamb of God as John says, who takes away the sin of the world, a lamb that was born in a manger among other lambs. He is not a political king or a quick fixer of our problems in the way we think. So we will fail to put him in our small box.