Dec. 15, 1996 Third Sunday of Advent John 1, 6–8, 19–28

THE CHURCH again and again teaches that Christ reveals man to himself and brings to light the human person's exalted vocation. In today's Gospel, the priests and Levites dispatched by the officials in Jerusalem want to know John the Baptizer's real identity. They ask: “Who are you? What do you have to say for yourself?” They have witnessed John's extraordinary ability to draw people out of the city, enabling them to come to terms with their own sins.

The delegates are convinced that anyone who can get the people to recognize the truth about themselves must himself have special access to the Truth. They insist that John must be the Messiah, or Elijah, or at the very least a prophet. They demand a credible explanation of why he accomplishes such exalted feats. They are threatened by his power.

John draws others to the Truth because he himself lives deeply in the Truth, which is the source of his joy and of his unflappable peace in the face of the official's insistent interrogation. John states the truth about himself in three clear statements that may help us live more deeply in the Truth this Advent. John explains his vocation by turning directly to Jesus Christ.

He declares absolutely: “I am not the Messiah.” The one sent by God as a witness to testify to the light has no delusions of grandeur. Even though “through him all people might believe,” John does not mistake his ability with the true light, Jesus. He does not allow his power and status to deceive him about the source of his true identity. Like John, the more we remind ourselves who we are not, the more do we prepare the way to discover our true identity and vocation in Christ.

Moreover, John asserts that he is not worthy to unfasten the sandal strap of Jesus. He possesses no inherent right or privilege to associate himself with the Messiah. But in humbly accepting his own unworthiness, John disposes himself to receive the richness of God's mercy and to understand the fullness of human dignity that Christ manifests to us. Humility is truth. And the humility that begins in prostrated reverence before the feet of Jesus leads us to the glory of eating and drinking his Body and Blood. In that act we discover the true meaning of our life, as we rejoice in the God-given privilege to be Christ's Body.

John's final statement evokes an air of mystery: “There is one among you whom you do not recognize.” The delegates assume John is a man of God because of his remarkable works. But John informs them that their old prejudices and preconceptions are not enough. To recognize the Messiah requires a willingness to look beyond bold words and miraculous actions. Rather, we recognize the Messiah as we submit the entirety of our lives to him to be saved. We discover the truth about the Messiah only as we live that Truth in our own lives. And the Truth who is Jesus Christ fills us with the grace to face the truth about ourselves with confidence.

Father Cameron is a professor of homiletics at St. Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, N.Y.