Gospel & Reflection for the second Sunday of Advent.
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled in,
every mountain and hill be laid low,
winding ways will be straightened
and rough roads made smooth.
And all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
Reflection
Friends, one of the very first mysteries which not only students of Theology have to grapple with, but indeed every Christian should explore, is the relationship between the Jesus of History and the Jesus of Faith.
The Jesus of History was the person long foretold and born in time. He was born in a certain place, to a specific family, in a particular year. He grew up in a known community and worked as a tradesman. He then left His trade as a carpenter behind and ministered and witnessed to God in the most dramatic of ways. He had followers and admirers, critics, and enemies. It was the jealousy of His opponents that led Him to being eventually arrested and tried, executed, and buried.
Then we have the Jesus of Faith. This is Christ. Christ who was, who is, who will always be. He is outside of time, history, space. Yet, He is also in time, in history, in creation. He is present to us now, He is forever. He is Christ, who lived and who died but who then was raised from death and ascended to the Heavens.
The Jesus of history, the Jesus of faith, both are the One and the same Christ. The Jesus of history is the Jesus of faith. He is God, He is love. For some people though, while they might accept the Jesus of history, they do not accept Him as the Jesus of Faith. Others, accept Him as both. Many don’t accept Him as either.
A religious poll conducted in England a few years ago revealed that for the majority of those who responded to it, they did not accept that Jesus was not a historical figure! In response to that survey, the American Bishop, Robert Barron said “the great Saints of England – Edward the Confessor, Thomas More, John Fisher, John Henry Newman – they must be rolling their eyes in Heaven!” A great response.
That poll reveals an extraordinary revelation especially considering that most professional historians, even those who are atheist, don’t doubt at all the existence of the historical figure called Jesus. Whether that same Jesus is also the Jesus of Faith, that’s another question entirely for them, but as for the Jesus of History – they have no doubts at all about Him and they acknowledge His existence, as did many ancient historians whose writings have been discovered over the centuries.
History was particularly important to the early Christians and especially to the Evangelists. All of the Gospel writers frame their words and experience about Christ within historical events, people, places, and time. St. Luke in our Gospel this weekend speaks of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, King Herod, and John the Baptist. He mentions the lands of Judea, Galilee, and Abilene. He does this purposely because it’s his way, it’s the Gospel’s way of saying that what we are speaking about – the people, the places, the time are real. So, also are the events which happen around them. By mentioning real people and real places, Luke is saying that what he is saying about Christ is authentic too.
Ours is not a story that begins with ‘Once upon a time’ or ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….’ The Gospels are true. The events, the people, the places, the time, are factual. Our faith story is not a myth, a legend, or a fable. It was written by genuine people, who if they had not witnessed these events for themselves, sought out witnesses who had. These events happened and people were present to it all. This is historical fact.
We gather on this second Sunday of Advent. Advent comes to us from the Latin word ‘Advento’ – meaning something or someone is approaching, something will happen. Advent is about the approaching birth of Christ – the birth of the Jesus of History, who is the Jesus of Faith. His birth happened in a known place, in a particular year, to a chosen people, and there were witnesses to everything that happened then, and later in His life.
His story, our story, is not a legend invented, is it truth that was lived. Our faith is a real ‘advento’, a real happening and we celebrate it all over these short, beautiful weeks. Like St. John the Baptist before us, may we never doubt what we celebrate, and who we celebrate. May we be witnesses to the Jesus of history, who is the Jesus of Faith; and may we be His witnesses in our own time, in our own place, within our own family, friends, and community. Let us prepare His way today.
Fr. Richard