Reflection:
To doubt is normal, especially when we are being asked to take a leap of faith.  To worship an unseen God is stepping into the unknown, and for many people of this generation, a viable rationale is sometimes needed before they can plunge into something unfamiliar.  This was the case with John the Baptist who sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (v.3).

We probably are on the same plane here, wondering why and how John could ever doubt the person of Jesus, when he himself announced at the approach of Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of God”.

John knew who Jesus was.  He leapt in his mother’s womb when Mary visited Elizabeth (Lk 1:41).  John was well-versed in Scriptures and familiar with the prophesy about the coming of the Messiah. So why did he doubt?  Perhaps it was not so much that John doubted, but rather, that he needed assurance that his work of preparing the way for Jesus had not been for naught.  Doubt must have crept into John’s mind because of his imprisonment.  How God could have allowed such injustice to happen (Lk 3:20)?  The idea of a conquering Messiah must also have crossed his mind.

Thus, if a man of great faith, and a prophet at that, entertained doubts, we should not at all be surprised if there are moments when we too may be assailed by doubts when faced with storms in our life.  As they say, life is a journey of faith.  Indeed it is, because as we go from one point in our life to another, there are times when our faith will be tested not just by circumstances, but by the physical and spiritual struggles we face.  Sickness in the family, death of a loved one, loss of job and income opportunities, collapse of business leading to bankruptcy, financial problems, broken relationships among families and friends, divorce and many more challenging circumstances can unnerve even the most steadfast person.  As we go through life, we discover that the difficulties we experience may give rise to doubt, especially if the answers to our prayers differ from what we want.

What John did, is point us to what we also should do when our faith runs into a wall.  John looked for and sought assurance from Jesus that he was doing the right thing and there was nothing to fear.  And here we see the way Jesus responded: “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor,” (v. 4).

What Jesus wanted John to know and what Our Lord is also telling us now, is that God is present wherever and whenever love, kindness, mercy and healing flows to those who are in pain, or are suffering.  Jesus assures John, and he is assuring us now: “Blessed is anyone who does not fall away on account of me,” (v.6).  What Jesus means is that there will be no room for doubt if we remain grounded on his message of salvation. Many times, we doubt and fall because we create our own image of who God is, even raising the level of our expectations beyond what God is.  In other words, there are times when we expect God to be what we want him to be – a God who will bring us material comfort in life – and our faith dips when we don’t get what we want or when trials challenge our relationship with God.

When doubts surface, we should not look for external manifestations, but rather, we should rely on his Word that he came “that we may have life and have it to the full,” (Jn 10:10).  Instead of doubting, we should think of his assurance and the blessings he promised those who believe in him: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:25-26)

Doubts about our faith can only be remedied by our dependence on his power to bring us out of darkness and into his marvelous light.  The power of God is what will free us from our slavery to sin and remove our doubts as to who we are and how God sees us.  At the end of the day, his love is what will deliver us from hopelessness and doubt. His message of salvation is the Good News that we ought to believe in.

For everything that John the Baptist did, and notwithstanding what the religious leaders said about him, Jesus described him as more than just a prophet (v.9).  And rightly so, for John was the only prophet, whose coming was also foretold (v.10), as, was the coming of Jesus.  What made John different was that while the other prophets also prophesied about the coming Messiah, John not only announced his coming (Lk 3:16) but he also prepared the way for the coming of the Lord.  Other prophets died without laying eyes on the One they prophesied about, John lived to see the day and even had the privilege of baptizing Jesus in the Jordan.  This was why Jesus called John the greatest among the prophets (v.11).

The question we should now be asking ourselves is how can we enter and be part of the Kingdom of God.  The nature and character of Advent encourages us to go deeply into spiritual discernment that will point us towards the path to the Heavenly Kingdom.  As heaven is for saints, the next question that we could be asking is how we, sinners that we are, can enter the Kingdom of God? We are all sinners, but Christ has earned for us right to the Kingdom of God, and Advent is its main door, if we can but open our eyes to see it.

The significance of this liturgical season is that it culminates in the coming of Jesus Christ, signaling the beginning of our restoration to the divine likeness to which we have all been prefigured.  Our baptism with water and the Holy Spirit give us new birth that should lead us to believe in the One who offered his life to ransom us from our sinful nature.

The problem is, some of try to get inside God’s Kingdom through the back door, as we try to camouflage our pride and arrogance with good works that we imagine, will earn us our entry visa to heaven.  We supplant true worship with programs and projects and busy ourselves with things other than establishing a relationship with God.

That is why we need someone to point us in the right direction which, for us, is none other than Jesus Christ who said: “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (Jn 10:9), and he repeated this truth when he said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (Jn 14:6).  Jesus Christ whose coming we await with great expectation is the door to heaven; there is no other way.  Sinners we may be, but he also made sure that our sins will be erased when he comes and when we are finally forgiven through his death on the cross and our repentance.

His coming should set us on fire that, like John the Baptist, we may use our lives to point others to Christ.  In a world as desperate as ours, we need to step up in faith to testify to the light and truth of Jesus Christ, and our lives must radiate the joy of our membership in God’s Kingdom.

Reflection Questions:
1.    In what ways do I prepare for this Advent season spiritually?

2.    How can I restore and maintain my relationship with God this Advent and for the rest of the new liturgical year?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
December 15, 2013 (Sun)    Is 35:1-6,10/Ps 146:6-10/Jas 5:7-10/Mt 11:2-11
December 16, 2013 (Mon)    Is 56:1-3,6-8/Ps 67:2-8/Jn 5:33-36
December 17, 2013 (Tues)    Gn 49:8-10/Ps 72:3,4,7,8,17/Mt 1:1-17
December 18, 2013 (Wed)    Jer 23:5-8/Ps 72:1,2,12,13,18,19/Mt 1:18-25
December 19, 2013 (Thur)    Jgs 13:2-7,24,25/Ps 71:3,4.5,6,16,17/Lk 1:5-25
December 20, 2013 (Fri)       Is 7:10-14/Ps 24:1-6/Lk 1:26-38
December 21, 2013 (Sat)      Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:25-18/Ps 33:2,3,11,12,20,21/Lk 1:39-45

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”

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