3rd Sunday of Advent
(Sunday 13th December 2015)
Strive to be the best that you can be – (Luke 3:10-18)
I remember, not so long ago, visiting the shrine of a famous saint. The saint in question lived in the 20th century and is very much revered. On visiting the museum dedicated to her in her home town, I was struck by the simplicity of the surrounding in which she lived, the basic living quarters and sparse wardrobe of clothes. But from these humble remains some particular items stood out. A hair shirt, a small spikey metal bracelets and other small items which were meant to be worn about the body. These items were meant to make life a little bit more difficult, items of penance that would induce suffering. They call them mortifications. The idea of them was to keep the person grounded, in touch with their humanity. They would suffer in order to do penance. There is nothing wrong with doing penance but when we look back now at these items we shake our heads. We ask the question; how could God ever ask this of us, to wear such items of torture? However these ‘items of torture’ were worn out of nothing except love. The saint wanted God to know how much they loved him and that they were willing to enter into the sufferings of Christ in a very profound way.
Thankfully theology has moved on. We know that such penances which may have been commended at the time have no place in the scheme of God for us. This is especially helped by the writings and teachings of Saint John Paul the Great. His theology of the body gives us a deep insight into the beauty of this body of ours, and the importance of looking after and caring for it. Eating the right foods, exercising regularly, going to the doctor when we suspect something is not quite right, these are the ways in which we show glory to God.
So then, you might ask how can we today show our God how much we love and care for him? What lengths do we go to to express our faith and love for God? Well, in this Sunday’s Gospel, John the Baptist gives us the answers we are looking for. The people were coming to John the Baptist and basically asking the same question; what must we do? The man with two tunics gives one to the poor, the tax collectors collect the honest amount, the soldiers must not intimidate, or extort and be content with their pay. In other words whatever your calling in life; do it properly! If you are a student, study well. If you work in a shop be courteous to the customers and honest using the till. If you sweep the streets for a living sweep them well, don’t cut any corners.
Very practically John the Baptist points out to us that the greatest way we can show God we love him and prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas is by doing that which is entrusted to us well! Look back over the past day – Have you worked as hard as you could? Did you study or learn as well as you could? Were you courteous and kind in your dealings with others? Did you make quality time for prayer? Did you do all things well? If not, ask for God’s pardon and forgiveness and strive tomorrow to be the best version of yourself that you can be!
Fr. Eamonn Bourke