'To testify to the light'. Third Sunday of Advent Year B, 11 December 2011

Preaching of St John the Baptist, Domenico Ghirlandaio, painted 1486-90

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel John 1:6-8, 19-28 (NAB)

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, "Who are you?"
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, "I am not the Christ."
So they asked him,
"What are you then? Are you Elijah?"
And he said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
So they said to him,
"Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?"
He said:
"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
'make straight the way of the Lord,'"
as Isaiah the prophet said."
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
"Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"
John answered them,
"I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."

+++

We were a group of nearly 70 boys in our last year of secondary school, 17 and 18 years of age. The A and B sections had the same set of teachers and Brother Mícheál S. Ó Flaitile, a member of the Irish Christian Brothers, now known as the Congregation of Christian Brothers, used to take the two sections together for religions class each day before lunch. At the time he was probably around 60 years of age. Our nickname for him was ‘Pancho’ because he bore a certain resemblance to a chubby cartoon character of that name. We all revered him, though that didn’t prevent us from playing the occasional trick on him.

One particular day is seared in my memory. ‘Pancho’ apologized to the two sections because the day before he had scolded a member of the B section in front of us all and later discovered that the student hadn’t done anything wrong. I hadn’t remembered the scolding from the day before nor the alleged misdemeanor, which was trivial anyway. I doubt if any of my classmates had remembered it either. But for ‘Pancho’ it was a matter of honour and justice to correct his mistake and to say to us, and especially to the student he had wrongly judged, that he was sorry.

Years later, when he was already in his 80s, I reminded Br Ó Flaitile of the incident. He said he didn’t remember it – but he smiled.

I have taught from time to time at various levels during my 44 years as a priest and the example of ‘Pancho’ that day has stayed with me and guided me on many an occasion.

Even as a student I saw ‘Pancho’ as a Christ-like person. He taught us about Jesus in our religions classes but I remember very little, if anything, of what he said. But I remember his example, not only on the occasion he apologized to us, but in everything I saw in him over the years. I first came to know him when I was still in elementary school and he was in charge of a student organization I joined. It was only in my last two years in secondary school that I had him as a teacher.

In Ghirlandaio’s painting above we see Jesus very clearly in the background. But the people are focused on St John the Baptist. Jesus is standing higher than his cousin. This is the painter’s way of illustrating the words of the Baptist in today’s gospel: but
there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

None of us is fit to untie the sandalstrap of Jesus. But each of us is called to be, not the light, but to testify to the light who is Jesus through the life we lead. ‘Pancho’ testified to the light for me.


Gisella is a young Indonesian singer (as far as I can make out from online research). In this recording of the old European Advent hymn, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, or 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, she is accomapnied by a drummer from Senegal in west Africa. She sings the first verse and refrain in the original Latin and then the same verse and refrai, with another, in the 1851 English translation by John Mason Neale.
 
 

Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

Veni, veni Emmanuel;  

Captivum solve Israel,

Qui gemit in exilio,

Privatus Dei Filio.

Refrain
Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel,

Nascetur pro te, Israel!

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Request for prayers

I am posting this on the afternoon of 8 December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and will be going on retreat later today until the morning of 14 December. May I ask your prayers for myself and I will be praying for you.