Is. 35:1-6a, 10; Ps. 146:6-10; Jam. 5:7-10; Mt. 11:2-11

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”  John the Baptist’s expectations of the one to come involve fire and judgment yet Jesus comes in love and peace.  Jesus responds to the question by giving witness to what the disciples “hear and see” in healing others and receiving the good news.  He tells the disciples to tell John “blessed is the one who takes no offense at me”.  John don’t be offended that I don’t meet your expectations.  The blessing is to trust in Jesus more than in our own expectations of God. 

When “life happens” not according to our expectations or we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, maybe even a tragedy we question God “why, where is God?” even to the point of being mad at God.  We take offense he allowed such suffering in our lives and in doing so we reject the blessing promised to John in Jesus response to John.  The blessing comes with the spiritual practice taught by St. James “be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord”.  I use to pray for patience until I realized patience comes through testing my patience so I prayed for wisdom to discern God’s presence. 

The “coming of the Lord” is Christmas, more of Christ in our lives who is already with us.  We ended the liturgical year with the coming of Christ the King and we begin the Advent season with the anticipation of Jesus Christ.  Many have received him in the waters of baptism but many more have rejected him looking for another.  This raises the question, “how am I different having received Jesus?”  The choice is to live in the kingdom of God or not.  In Jesus I fear not and our eyes are opened to the truth of God’s presence active in our lives, our hearing listens to the voice of God to respond to his will and our tongue is free to give testimony to our faith. 

Is Jesus my Lord and savior or am I still seeking for another answer in my life?  The first obstacle to Jesus in our life is not the world and its attacks on our faith.  It is not the evil one seeking to destroy us with its temptations.  The first obstacle to the baptized Christian is our “God-head” that wills itself to be first with a God in our own image not seeking his image.  John the Baptist had a fiery image and was seeking a God in his image.  Are we greater than John the Baptist?   Jesus affirms it in today’s gospel that we possess a greatness greater than John.  This comes when we receive him as our savior and transform our lives into his image. 

Finally waiting for the Lord’s coming in not a passive act but an active process of preparing our souls to receive him daily in all circumstances to enter into the kingdom of love, healing, peace and justice.  Take the next right step…a prayer. It can be as brief as “thy will be done” calling on the spirit of guidance before the next step or “Jesus I trust in you” when there is doubt or fear and the spirit will come to our defense the instant we call on him. Are you the one…called Christian? God is waiting for our next right step, he has already taken his in our baptism. It is our turn now.