Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR A THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT - 12.12.04 Is 35,1-6.10; James 5,7-10; Mt 11,2-11 Why go out there? to see what? Matthew
is strong on the Lord’s presence: it’s not something away from you: look no further, it’s
here; it’s all around you, if only you have eyes to see, ears to hear. Our
Lord is walking among us: see the signs of his presence, enjoy his communion, be
nourished & live ‘in Christ’. Stay united with fellow believers in
Christ & give value to your life. Do you see signs of God’s presence all
around you? Who has shown & communicated this presence to you? In what way?
More important still, are you a sign of Lord’s presence to other people? How
are you ‘Good News” to them? One conviction which from the start is
consistent in Matthew’s Gospel is the ‘Good News” that Jesus our awaited
Messiah, Saviour and King is here among us now: evidence of this presence is
before our eyes to be seen everywhere. The signs of the Lord’s presence are:
the blind who see, the lame who walk, the sick who are healed, the deaf who
hear, the dead who are raised, the ‘Good News” that is proclaimed to the
poor. All this had been spelled out by the prophet Isaiah, but was realized by
Jesus and now is lived out in our lives. What Matthew says to his contemporaries
is relevant here and now for us. As it was for them, so it is for us. Thanks be
to God, times have changed and like it was for Matthew’s people then, our
people too are no longer poor. They were not so different from many of our
followers of Jesus in this day and age. In today’s Gospel, Matthew tackles the
issue of Jesus’ apparent absence from
our society; but he makes it clear in today’s passage and in all his Gospel,
that this is not true at all. The Lord does make himself known, visible &
indeed intimate to those who want to see & hear, be healed, rise & be
energized. But sadly, we choose: to ignore & rebel, to go through life &
do it our way, uncaring, arrogant & oppressive. God’s
Kingdom in Matthew:
Matthew is not interested in politics of any time; he comes straight &
across, only to tell us that no matter what political or family upheavals (in or
out of Church) we are going through, the Christian view comes across to us as a
scheme ( or kingdom or theology) which lets us in a wonderful deal with God
through Jesus Our Lord. Across human history, many groups and Empires have
imposed themselves on other people, under the banner of bringing civilization
(& Christianity) to barbarians (or infidels): Egypt, Babylon, Assyria,
Persia, Greece, Rome... & even our Crusades, Islam & our Modern,
Colonial Empires... Matthew however presents God’s Kingdom as totally opposed
any empirical domination: his, it’s about justice & peace for all who feel
cut-off, oppressed, excluded, marginalized, dominated, rendered invisible,
silent or absent. It’s about including everyone, always giving preference to
the rejects: rich & poor, slave & free, black & white, women &
men and indeed all sinners: Publicans & Prostitutes & anyone who repents
& returns to God, giving & receiving forgiveness & remission of
sins, through Baptism and Christian Initiation. Matthew is careful to preserve
and hand over to us the “Jewishness” of our Christian Tradition: John is the
greatest Prophet, no one born of woman is greater that he, yet even the least of
those who belong to Jesus’ Church is greater than He. The reason is that we
who live in the Church, live in Christ and Christ lives in us. By belonging to
Christ and the household of God, we fulfil in our lives God’s plan of
salvation. Please God, we become more like Christ, people ‘anointed with
God’s Holy Spirit’ (the word for ‘Christian’), promote justice, peace
& to affirm positive values for and in all. Reflect:
in what ways are you Good News to other people? ______________________________________ |
