What stands out in today's Gospel is the transparency of John the Baptist: the light of God's truth flows through him as through the clearest of windows. In fact, the evangelist uses precisely light as a metaphor to describe the Baptist's ministry: "This one was coming as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but the one who bore witness to the light.".
And the sincerity, the clarity, of John shines through in this passage: "And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?' He confessed and did not deny; he confessed, 'I am not the Messiah.'". He sees himself only as a "voice" in the wilderness: not the content, the Word (which is Christ himself), but only a means that the Word uses to convey its message, as our voice might speak the words, the ideas, of another person.
And when the priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem ask John why he baptizes if he is neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet announced by Moses, he answers: "I baptize with water; in the midst of you there is one whom you do not know, the one who comes after me, and whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.". What gives so much authority to John's testimony is his extraordinary humility. He is very clear about how little he is and what he is not: he is not the Christ, he is not the content of the message, but a mere means for its transmission. He even considers himself unworthy to be Christ's slave: unworthy to do the slave's work of untying his master's sandals.
In another passage (Jn 3:28-30), which also shows John's humility, he describes Christ as the "husband" and its own role as that of a mere "husband's friend" whose voice "rejoices" much to hear. It is not surprising, then, that the Church offers us as today's first reading a beautiful text from Isaiah that also expresses joy in the expectation of salvation: "I overflow with joy in the Lord, and rejoice with my God.".
While the messengers of the Jewish authorities are so serious and joyless ("Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself?"), John rejoices humbly. Knowing how unimportant we are, mere servants of truth, is deeply liberating.
Homily on the readings of the Third Sunday of Advent (B)
The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaA short one-minute reflection for these Sunday readings.
