Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the third Sunday of Advent: Year C
Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18
Called to a life and spirituality of companionship and empowerment
Dear brothers and sisters,
We live in a world of change and evolution. Think of the introduction of the internet and the digital revolution that has impacted the way we live, communicate and interact with each other. As people of faith, we are called to negotiate the changes and disruptions around us not with fear and isolation, but with faith and courage. As a matter of fact, the ability to respond to times of chaos and crisis is central to being a Christian. We must be able to discern the new things that God is doing in our lived reality and conform our behaviour according to the direction of the Spirit.
The call of God to us is not to settle in false certitude and security. Rather it is to travel beyond our limited horizons and discern how we can be true missionary disciples and credible bearers of the Good News. Discipleship is a journey that demands a critical discernment of the status quo and an openness to the new ways of doing things that the Holy Spirit constantly asks of us. As true believers, we can do well to listen, see and act prophetically so that the Day of the Lord may be source of vindication, comfort and joy to us.
In a world of fear and the defence of the status quo is the natural default position, we are led, just as our ancestors in faith, beyond our limited horizons into an eschatological hope, that is, the fulfilment of God’s redemptive purpose. Chaos and uncertainty can become the venue of growth, transformation and possibility.
The Word of God today also challenges us to actively prepare for the coming of the Lord and not fall victim to apathy, indifference and self-indulgence.
In the first reading, the prophet Zephaniah speaks to the faithful in Israel and exhorts them to take heart in view of God’s deliverance. Zephaniah ministered during the turbulent period before the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Jews in Babylon. Most of his prophecy is concerned with the total apathy of the leading citizens and the disintegration of Israel. Instead of seeing the writing on the wall, they were impervious to the threats of destruction. They persisted in their self-indulgence until the day of reckoning overtook them.
Zephaniah reserved the harshest indictment to the powerful elites while he comforted those who suffered for their fidelity to the covenant. Here in the last chapter of his book, his tone of tenderness is contrasted sharply with his fierce anger against the wicked earlier. He spoke collectively of God’s poor as “daughter of Zion” and “daughter of Jerusalem”. He assured the remnants that God is in control of their destiny and they “have no more evil to fear.”
Just as Zephaniah did 700 years earlier, John the Baptist was a disruptor to those who had vested interests in continuity and resisted the new things that God was doing. With strong language like “brood of vipers”, he condemned their hard-heartedness and refusal to walk the way of humility, love and service. His critique of the powerful became the divine narrative. He called people to individual and collective conversion. Everyone must change their behaviour. To the crowds, he says “give what you have; share with the poor”.To the tax collectors, he says “be fair and just”. To the soldiers “do not use your power for self gain”. All that is unjust, oppressive and harmful to God’s poor must be dismantled.
Zephaniah and John the Baptist speak God’s call for a new way of living and being in the world. They warn us of the impending disaster if we continue to bury our heads in the sand. They insist that our ethical choices and actions have consequences, both in the here and now as well as on the Day of the Lord which is a metaphor for God’s ultimate judgment. Such prophetic message is very pertinent to us today. We cannot be protective only of our own security and prosperity without concern for the disadvantaged, the poor and future generations. The divinely governed world that the prophets invite us to work towards is none other than a community of life where our choices and actions enhance the lives of others rather than diminish or jeopardize them. We are called to a life and spirituality of companionship and empowerment of God’s little children everywhere.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Pope Francis has constantly challenged us to act out of our commitment to the Gospel values rather than to give in to the collective apathy, aided and abetted by the culture of fear and inertia. We cannot be salt and leaven if we allow our Christian conscience to be desensitised by the inequality, injustice and inhumanity in our society and in the world. It is God’s vision of justice, hospitality and human flourishing for all that guides us.
Advent is a season of hope. Hope spurs us into action, knowing that our efforts will not be in vain. May we be inspired by the prophetic dream of Zephaniah and the vision of John the Baptist to show the alternative pathway of hope against fear, compassion against indifference and courage against self-interest. May all that we do and all that we are in our lives and relationships reflect the call to be sign of light, hope and joy to the Church and the people of our time.
