In the Gospel for Gaudete Sunday we hear of the great crowds flocking to the wilderness to listen to the preaching of John the Baptist and be baptized. After John delivers a harsh rebuke the people ask him “what then should we do?”(Lk 3:10) John’s response is ultimately about justice – acting justly in the world. “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none”(Lk 3:11). To the tax collectors and the soldiers he instructs them to only collect the prescribed amount and to be content with the wages they earn (Lk 3:13-14). He does not tell them to completely cease their work, which many saw as oppressive, but rather not to overreach their mandate.
All of this is to prepare the way for the Lord. John reminds us that when the Lord comes he will bring justice. In the following chapter of Luke’s Gospel Jesus announces He has been sent to “bring good news to the poor […] proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind”(Lk 4:18). Jesus tells us the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of justice. When our Lord comes again at the end of time He will usher in a new age of justice and peace. In this season of Advent we are invited to prepare for His Kingdom now, to live in His justice now.
The crowds ask John if he is the Messiah, to which he responds by again pointing to Jesus. With this, John warns us what will happen should we choose to live unjust lives, overreaching our mandate and not sharing the gifts God has entrusted to us. When Jesus comes again he will do so “with winnowing-fork in His hand, to clear the threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His granary; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire”(Lk 3:17).
This is indeed an ominous passage for a Sunday on which Holy Mother Church bids us Gaudete – Rejoice! At the end of time, those who have lived in the God’s justice will have great cause to rejoice, for they will already be living in His kingdom. Let us take the exhortations of the Baptist to heart, for they are indeed Good News for those who hear them and “prepare the way of the Lord”(Lk 3:4).
Kevin Ponte – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
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