Who are we waiting for? Third Sunday of Advent (A)

As we move forward in this season of Advent, today's liturgy leads us to ask ourselves an important question: Who are we waiting for? Who is this “who”? What kind of encounter are we being prepared for during this Advent? John the Baptist himself gives voice to this question in today's Gospel: ”Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for another?”.

Placing the emphasis on the “who” first reminds us that we are waiting for someone and not simply something. We are not waiting for a feeling, a thing, a sensation, an idea, a solution, an Amazon package, but rather for someone, an event that brings us into contact with a person. Advent prepares us for this. Christianity is an encounter with a person. The words of Pope Benedict XVI come to mind: “One does not begin to be a Christian because of an ethical decision or a great idea, but because of an encounter with an event, with a Person, who gives life a new horizon and, with it, a decisive orientation.”.

That is the heart of Advent: God himself is coming. The prophet Isaiah announces it: ”Tell the restless: Be strong, do not fear. Behold your God! Retribution is coming, God's retribution. He is coming in person and will save you.”.

Today, the Church celebrates the Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of joy. We rejoice because God is coming, God is near. The magnitude of this joy is manifested in Isaiah's prophecy. He uses many metaphors to describe the exultation and joy of creation: the desert and the dry land will rejoice and sing joyful songs because they will see the glory of God. These metaphors show the immensity of the joy at God's coming. These elements of creation cannot literally rejoice because they have no soul, but the prophet exaggerates the language to help us understand the joy that should fill our hearts at God's coming. If they are called to express such feelings, how much more should we rejoice at Christ's nearness!

What Isaiah announced came true with the coming of Christ. His response to John the Baptist's disciples conveys this joy: the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk. We rejoice because Christ comes to save and liberate us. The Church encourages us not to lose sight of this truth. John the Baptist, from prison, could not see, only hear of Christ's works, and needed to be reassured.

The doubt about Christ's identity expressed by John the Baptist is more a matter of discernment. Like John in prison, we may sometimes ask ourselves: Is this really the Christ we are waiting for? Or should we look for another? John's question is not just a doubt, it is discernment. What kind of Savior are we waiting for? What Christ do we expect? Or should we look for another Christ? Do we want a Christ made in our image, who solves problems our way, according to our schedule? Or do we allow him to be the Savior who surprises us, who saves us according to God's wisdom and not our own? We need to learn to listen and see anew.

Advent invites us to draw closer to Christ, who has already drawn closer to us. To see as He sees. To learn patience and discernment. To rejoice not in what we imagine God should do, but in what He is already doing in our midst. So today we ask ourselves again: Who are we waiting for this Advent?