What would you like to search for?

Homilies - Bishop Brendan Leahy

Year C: Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent. Year c

Corpus Christi Church, Moyross, December 15th 2024

Homily Notes of Bishop Brendan Leahy

Today is “Gaudete or Rejoicing Sunday”. It’s called that because years ago there was a lot of fasting during Advent but on the third Sunday of Advent it was felt Christmas was drawing close soon – the great celebration of God’s closeness to us. So we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath as a sign of the rejoicing. As well as rejoicing we are putting our trust in God’s closeness to us.

At Mass on the two middle Sundays of Advent, in other words, last week and this week, the Gospel read in Church focuses on John the Baptist. He was the one who prepared the way for Jesus. He pointed out that Jesus was coming, and we need to get ready. Today we hear the great question people asked John the Baptist: “what must we do?”. What must we do to prepare? It’s a question for us too. I know we are all busy with the preparations for Christmas to do with presents and getting the Christmas dinner and pudding and cakes ready. But, of course, we need to prepare spiritually for Christmas.

Today’s Gospel helps us when we look at how John the Baptist answered the people who asked him the question: “what are we to do?” Notice how John the Baptist gave a separate answer to those who came to him. To the general crowd, he said they should share a coat if they had two. Sharing and being generous is a way to prepare for Jesus. To the Tax-collectors who were known for the unjust taxes and corruption, John the Baptist tells them to stop collecting more than they are meant to. They are to live legally and with justice. To the soldiers who asked: “what are we to do?” John the Baptist answered they were to stop practicing extortion and falsely accusing people, as well as being careful not to become greedy.

It's interesting that each of these groups got their specific answer. There’s an important point for us here. It’s not that I or you can give a general answer to the question “what must I do?”. Each of us has to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit inside us who suggests what it is each one of us has to do. It’ll be different for each of us. For some, it might be to become more patient with people. For others, it might be looking around us and seeing people we can help or an elderly neighbour we can visit. For some, it’ll be about forgiving someone who has done us a wrong. That’s never easy. But at least maybe we can take a first step in our heart to try and forgive, asking God to help us. As I say, each of us can work out what way each of us can improve a little in our lives so as to prepare for Christ’s coming.

I’ve been reading a book written by the mother of Carlo Acutis, the young saint that Pope Francis is going to canonise next year. He was a wonderful young teenager who 18 years ago died of leukaemia at the age of 15. We see photos of him in a T-shirt and sneakers. He was big into computers. But that isn’t why he is being canonised. He had great faith and showed love to many people in the ordinary small everyday circumstances of his life. That’s what made him a saint. He liked what Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: “you can find Calcutta anywhere in the world. You only need two eyes to see. I know that you’d like to travel to Calcutta, but it’s easier to love people far away. It’s not always easy to love the people nearby”…”. It’s a matter of loving around to see Jesus who is near us, waiting for our love. Carlo Acutis did that – bringing food to homeless but also in simple ways, like helping elderly bring home their groceries or giving up his seat on a bus or giving a hand to someone who was disabled…

At times, we can feel this is hard to do as we are tired ourselves or facing great challenges. That’s why it is good on this Sunday to lift up our heart and, with trust, ask God to help us. He can do more than we could ever imagine.