Half way through Advent we pause for a moment to celebrate Gaudete Sunday, a Sunday for rejoicing. Isaiah paints a picture of regeneration. The desert that once seemed to be dead is now bursting with life; eyes that lacked sight, ears incapable of capturing and holding sound, limbs without strength, and tongues devoid of speech are all given new life. There will be no death in that age of fulfilment, no limitations, no mourning. As we move deeper and deeper into the reality of God’s presence in our midst, we will discover the meaning of true fulfilment.
John the Baptist is a standard for judging the privilege of entering here and now, the kingdom of heaven. He was the herald of the coming of Jesus, the one who prepared for him, but John himself died before the death and resurrection of Jesus opened the flood gates of the eschatological tide. By comparison, even the least in the kingdom of God is far greater than this prophetic herald. John also serves as a model of patience in suffering. His circumstances teach us that moving toward eschatological fulfilment is not without cost.
Just as Matthew presents us with the example of John the Baptist, so James describes the patience required of those who await the age of fulfilment. That age of fulfilment will dawn in its time; all we can do is discharge our responsibilities regardless of how demanding they might be, and wait for that day patiently, convinced that it will come in God’s due time.
© Dianne Bergant CSA https://www.liturgyhelp.com/calendar/date/2025Dec14/0/RefDiBer