Homily for diaconal ordinations at Saint Savior
Is 35:1-6. 8-10; Jas 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-22 (3rd dom. Advent – A)
Dear brothers and sisters,
May the Lord give you peace!
During these days, the diocese of Jerusalem is celebrating various diaconal ordinations that have enriched our local Church. A couple of weeks ago in Domus Galilaeae, last Friday in our diocesan seminary, last Thursday in Nazareth, and today here in the Custody. Deacons at the service of the local and universal Church that, here, in the Holy Land, assume a ministry of service and enrich our community with their mission. Let us give thanks to God for this abundance!
This time too, I wil let myself be guided in reflection by the Gospel just proclaimed.
The passage of this Third Sunday of Advent speaks to the hearts of us all, and is typical of this period of Advent - where the emphasis is placed on waiting, just waiting. The questioning of John the Baptist, perplexed and imprisoned, is also our questioning, like that of so many before and after us.
John the Baptist has bet everything on Jesus, his whole life. He has no doubt that through God history would have a new beginning, that God was preparing to announce great news to his people: "But among you stands One you do not know. He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie". And there was no doubt that in that person, there would be salvation, the ultimate and definitive judgment of God. He was supposed to be the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit and in fire. "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Mt 3:11:12).
In short, the first John the Baptist, that of the Jordan River and not that of the prison, was not only certain, but already saw that God had come to earth, through the coming of a Mighty One who violently separates, who makes us happy or pushes into the eternal abyss.
Yet this Jesus of whom everyone speaks does not correspond at all to the depiction that John the Baptist has made of God and of the awaited Messiah.
On the one hand, there were elements that spoke in favor of the messianic nature of Jesus, that told that he was the powerful one expected and promised: sick people were healed, demons fled, the prophetic word – which, as in Samuel's time, was rare – began to become tangible. People flocked to see Him and were enthusiastic, because they were satisfied with His word and even wanted to make Him king (Jn 6:14).
But this Jesus, who seemed to be the right one, did not correspond to the image of the Messiah that John the Baptist had made for himself. He, in fact, avoided spectacularity; he tried to hide instead of unleashing passions. There were also signs that manifested a completely different element, marked by mercy, and not by divine justice that should have turned to ashes the miseries.
And there were worrying, unnecessary and perhaps even dangerous attitudes as well. This Jesus was saying that this way of keeping the law no longer expressed the path to salvation. This Jesus, who lived poorly, proclaimed the poor blessed and directed them towards complete trust in God. He sat next to sinners – publicans and prostitutes – to convert them. He stayed and played with children, even against the will of his disciples. And he also affirmed that the kingdom of heaven belonged to them. These attitudes were not suited to a Master and a Prophet.
In this context, we understand the questioning of John the Baptist.
We should ask ourselves what idea of Jesus we have in our hearts, and ask ourselves if the One we await corresponds to that of the Gospel - or if we are waiting for another. For you deacons, this question is even more important. The ministry of service that you are about to assume is no different from that of Jesus, which has scandalized many and aroused the perplexity of John the Baptist. Being a deacon means assuming the dimension of service: not any or generic service, but Jesus' way of serving, and nothing else.
In this, did Jesus of Nazareth really appear as the one who has in his hand the last judgment, and with it the last salvation or ruin - the one on whom our life, present and future, depends?
Who, at least once, in a moment of fatigue and misunderstanding, has not asked themselves this question? It may happen that many, and perhaps us, too, in the concreteness of everyday life, can tire and decide that Jesus, this Jesus, is not the One we are waiting for.
John remains in this questioning. A questioning that oppresses him, but that he does not neglect. His doubt does not end in a decisive yes or a rejection. There is no definitive answer. John remains in his insecurity. The decisive and strong Baptist of the Jordan has given way to an anguished and doubtful John.
But this questioning that he has also indicates that he is still fond of this Jesus, that he loves him. He does not abandon him, he does not let him go, he still shows some trust in him, he hopes in him. John is not weak enough to give up and not strong enough to understand everything. He remains in that questioning and, in it and in his fractured and torn heart, also remains faithful to Jesus.
The same will happen to you. Now you live the joy of consecration, but the moments of loneliness and misunderstanding, of fatigue, will come. Remember, then, the testimony of this John the Baptist, and remain in this questioning by remaining faithful to Jesus; do not cease to love him.
That's not all. John the Baptist asks the question directly to Jesus. "He sent to tell him through his disciples..." (Mt 11:3). He does not keep everyting to himself, he does not satisfy himself with public opinion, he does not go and ask experts... In short, he does not beat around the bush. The bond with Jesus is not broken. John has so much dignity that he does not simply abandon Jesus because things do not go as planned. And to ask Jesus directly, to question him, also means to be willing, in some way, to accept the answer.
Questioning Jesus, for us, means questioning his witnesses and questioning their witness to the Gospel. It means questioning the witness of that witness: the Church, which carries to the end the treasure of Jesus' response and guards it for the whole world. Your new ministry will have no consistency and will not bear any fruit unless it is united, like branches to the vine, to the ministry of the Church.
Jesus answers. This questioning does not fall on deaf ears. Jesus has given an answer for centuries and centuries through countless witnesses, martyrs and saints, pious people and believers, theologians... Yet the questioning has not died down. And these witnesses' answer is not ours. As the question must be ours and the answer must be personal.
Jesus refers John the Baptist to his works: "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor".
Since it was the works of Jesus that aroused perplexity and questioning, Jesus remains on the subject and says: in this way and not in any other way comes the awaited, and in Him God comes to men. Jesus sends John the Baptist back to reread His works in the light of the Word of God.
It too is an important indication for you and for us today. To reread one's own works and history in the light of the Word of God, and in it to find the answer to one's own questions, without claiming to understand everything immediately, but with patience and fidelity.
Jesus also says: "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard!" We are asked here to free our sight and ears from the wrong expectations. To make sure that our expectations do not become projections and thus make us see what does not exist, and hide from us the truth that is there. A long and serious journey is necessary to free the reading of present and personal events from our expectations, and to stay within our questioning with the freedom and gratuitousness that it requires.
But that is precisely the difficulty. Admit it for what it is: we all have our personal expectations about Jesus, our sensitivities, our vision, while, to understand the answer, self-forgetfulness and sincerity of heart are necessary. This will be the precious service that you will be called to offer throughout your life: forget yourselves, put yourselves totally and without any search for self-affirmation at the service of the People of God, and help them to recognize the true Messiah and to know how to wait for Him.
Jesus invites John the Baptist to free himself from his reservations and preconceptions, from his own representations and attitudes, and to trust in God. Only in this way will his eyes and ears be opened to the real understanding of the Lord.
In conclusion, in the end, the one being questioned is John the Baptist and no longer Jesus. The latter tells John the Baptist to reread and re-read himself, to let himself be continually questioned.
And this is what is asked of you and of all of us today!
