On this third Sunday of Advent, I think about John the Baptist. He’s a man unsure of himself. Somewhere along the way, doubt crept into his life. Had he made the right choices? Was he really called by God, or was it self-delusion? Was his cousin, Jesus, really the one he was paving the way for?
John the Baptist is like many people throughout the ages. He first said yes to God, but then had second thoughts. Many of us say, “I pray, I go to Mass, I try to give what I can. Yet, my life has not turned out the way I wanted. I do not know where to turn.”
We ask, “Is Christ the One who is to come? Or are we to wait for another?” How many have wondered to themselves, was it wrong to be so faithful? I think there needs to be an emphasis on God’s grace and sufficiency for every illness and every situation. The Christian community should talk just as loud and long about God’s presence in the most hopeless situations as we do during the most miraculous healing.
Stories of miraculous healings have their place, but the miracle of a believer’s faith, and the faith of a loving family is just as important. In our worst moments, clinging to belief is the ultimate victory of God’s love, which makes all things new. In other words, be assured of and hold on to the miraculous presence of God.
In the scriptures we read, “The virgin shall be with Child and give birth to a Son, and they shall call him Emmanuel. Which means, God is with us.” Yes, God is with us through it all. With that knowledge, we can say like Mary, “Be it done unto me, according to Your will.”
