Guest Post:  by Dcn. Kevin Welch

Three years ago as a brand new Deacon, I give my first homily on Gaudete Sunday, the exact readings we hear today. So when I was asked to be the homilist this Sunday… my first reaction was, “great, with how seldom I give homilies, what are the odds…  and what the heck does God want me to preach about that could be different than my first homily?”.  

We all know the readings are centered on the Joy that Paul talks about when he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice”.  I must say that I wasn’t feeling the joy in my preparation and all I could ask myself was… “What am I to do?” 
So after prayerfully reviewing our readings, I answered my question with that same question that is found in today’s Gospel.

Here you have John the Baptist wandering in the desert preaching repentance to anyone who will listen well before anyone even heard a peep out of the carpenter from Nazareth.  

John must have felt pretty proud of  himself and all the attention he was getting. After all, the crowds didn’t ask the Pharisees or Sadducees or leaders of the day, but they asked John three times that all important question, “What are we to do?”

Each time, John told them to give up something or not to be greedy. 

So today, we find ourselves prayerfully reflecting on the very same question… “what are we to do?” Very few of us escape that question in our lives. Sometimes it concerns trivial matters like “What should I do… what sweater should I wear to the Christmas party?” or “how many presents are really enough for my children?”.  

Other times it concerns more serious decisions that weigh heavily on our hearts: 

“What should I do this Christmas when my adult children tell me they no longer believe or go to a Catholic church?” 

“What can I do about my spouses drinking problem that seems to create so many family problems this time of year? 

“What do I do now that my recent diagnosis of cancer.. very well might mean that this will be my last Christmas?”

Whatever the period in our life, we often ask the questions.. what should we do? Who will understand? Where can I find an answer? Is there an answer?

So let me suggest two ways to help us in these remaining days of Advent, to get closer to that person in Jesus Christ “ who is mightier than I”, that savior who is the answer…  to joyfully prepare our hearts.:

PUT OTHER FIRST
I think that John the Baptist speaks to us in today’s Gospel by telling us that being a baptized Catholic, being able to recite chapter and verse of the Bible, and going to Mass on Sundays are not enough. 

This Advent, we are confronted by John with a more challenging question “what are we to do… for others?”  We are asked to not be centric on ourselves, our problems or our proud of own personal piety. If we really want to change our lives this Advent, if we really want to find the answer to authentic joy, we must become sisters and brothers for others – even total strangers.

John’s message is Jesus’ message… and it must be our message. Whoever has two cloaks or enough food should share with the person who has none. We are called to share our surplus that could be all around us: in our closet, our pantry, our checkbook. 

We are not asked to give up everything; but we have but summoned to do something. Maybe it’s something simple like offering a meal or visiting a sick neighbor who is homebound during the holidays.  We are asked to offer a helping hand; or feet that can take us to a place we need to go; or an eye to see the needs of others; or an ear to hear a cry for help.

Our journey this season is a conversion from want and greed, to giving and becoming unselfish. That was the journey John the Baptist told the crowds to make; and that is the journey we are faced with this Advent.. for that is where we will find the true joy to celebrate Christmas.

BE HUMBLE
John the Baptist demonstrated this when people came, ready to honor John as the messiah, he set them straight.  He insisted that he was not the star of the show, only the best supporting actor.  John may have been center-stage for a while, but now that the star had shown up, he knew it was time for him to slip quietly off to the dressing room. His words and actions said… “He must increase and I must decrease.” 

Even though John was the one that baptized his cousin and launched the Lord’s public ministry... he joyfully and humbly worked himself out of a job. Most of us would not appreciate the competition.  

      So we need to take note and avoid being such a proud people, preoccupied with self, seeing all others as competitors, but seeking a humility that brings freedom from that cultural compulsion to dominate, and be in control. There is a genuine joy when we can recognize God in someone else and rejoice when we notice and honor God’s goodness in this person. 

This true humility is rare, but when we encounter it in a leader, it moves us deeply…partly because we are used to experiencing the opposite when it comes to those in power. We are fortunate to live in an age when joyful humility has been demonstrated by many leaders of our Church.

Let's consider just a few examples:

• That little nun from Calcutta named Blessed Teresa was a beautiful witness of humility. Whether she was speaking truth to powerful world leaders, or holding a dying child on the streets of India, she lived humility and the whole world stood still and was in awe.   
• Three years ago, Pope Benedict not only showed us humility in his faithful service, but also by voluntarily resigning his papal office. He changed history when he took the lowest place…stepping aside to live as a monk, spending his life in prayer for us all. 
• This humility blessed the church with Pope Francis, who started his papacy by simply describing himself as “a sinner”. His popularity today is grounded in his ongoing examples of humility. 
• And finally we remember with gratitude, the humble service of women and men religious; maybe it was the sister who patiently helped us learn our multiplication tables or the brother who coached our high school team. Most worked for years for our benefit on small stipends, leaving their religious communities without adequate savings.

So if we find ourselves searching this Advent for the Joy we hear about in today’s readings; If we find ourselves asking “What should I do?” 

Remember that by putting others first and acting with profound humility, every act of compassion, justice and reconciliation is a sign of the “expectation” that “fills” the human heart with joy for the coming of God’s kingdom.