3rd Sunday of Advent year ’A
"Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him ’Are you the one who is to come or are we to expect someone else? Jesus answered’ Go back and tell John what you hear and see." The prophet John the Baptist is in the darkness of prison, he is in need of comfort. John is in a state of fragility! He is certainly capable of great things when eh preaches in the desert. But he is there in prison, and can fear the worst. Jesus, whom John the Baptist announces, accomplishes great works, why isn’t it a question of him freeing his prophet? Does he experience doubt when he considers the way Jesus acts? He lives the great experience written in the psalms : ’Becoming red far rom the words pronounced.’ John lives all that positively by opening himself up to Jesus who can bring him the answer ’Are you the one to come or must we wait for someone else?’ Nor do we hesitate to ask Jesus questions that might bring us out of the doubt which corrupts us. Another hypothesis of his question might be formulated like this: We might think that John has a feeling about what is going to happen! And so h prepares his disciples to join Christ! He sent his disciples to ask Jesus if they had to wait for someone else! "The blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from leprosy are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor, and blessed is anyone who does not find in me a cause of failing. As the men began leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John. ’What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you look out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in kings’ palaces." Jesus filly welcomes the question of John the Baptist, without answering formally. He only leads John to reconsider the signs Jesus put down for him. Jesus calls John the Baptist to hold out in faith, to accept what is to come. Jesus truly is the One who stays close to humanity so a s to have him grow towards the father in relationship with Him. Jesus enlightens us, he doesn’t substitute himself for us. Thus he opens up a passage to enter in the newness of God’s Kingdom. Jesus trusts in John the Baptist, he praises him, we can contemplate this witness of Jesus for John! "Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet : he is the one of whom scripture says : ’See, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you. In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Hevan is greater than he." We too are here in the face of events which have us go towards something new. We need to be enlightened by Jesus and everything becomes possible. The relationships that are given to us become what makes up our tomorrow. We are going to go into a new growth. The Kingdom of God is this togetherness of relationships that has us progress by a confident relationship with others. Confidence that is received and shared give us the freedom to grow beyond what we had foreseen. ’The smallest n the Kingdom is greater than him.’ The smallest one is no longer alone. He is with others, capable of praising God through whom everything comes. And so he is always giving and receiving. We are looking for this littleness, receiving what ahs been given to us, giving it back to the one who asks. We want to bear witness in the night of faith . Jesus is glorified by this confidence we give him which is such a lovely one. We ask for the grace to bear witness to Jesus despite the darkness and night.