3B ADVENT SUNDAY HOMILY, JOHN 1:6-8, 19-28, December 17, 2023
1. STORY
Father John was a prison chaplain who visited several prisons every
week. He noticed that the prisoners
enjoyed the coming of Christmas. Father
John asked them why Christmas made them so happy. They gave two reasons. i) They had several days of vacation. ii) They had extra food like eggs and chicken
wings to eat during their meals. When
asked did they know that Christmas was the celebration of the birth of Jesus,
all of them responded that they had never heard of that before. They did not know Jesus.
2. GOSPEL: JOHN 1:6-8, 19-28
A. WHO WAS JOHN? When asked who he was, John told the leaders that he was not a prophet like Elijah and he definitely was not the Christ. Rather he was one who had a very important task to do. He came to prepare the coming of an extremely important person, Jesus Christ, who was the savior of the people. He was like a voice crying in the desert, making straight the way of the Lord.
B. WHO WAS JESUS? John the
Baptist told the people that Jesus was there among them, but they did not
recognize him. Jesus was the light of
the world who would teach them the truth. Jesus was the Christ, their savior, who would
bring them happiness and eternal life. John
came to help the people to recognize and prepare for the coming of Jesus
Christ. The people must be well prepared
for the coming of the savior.
3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
A. MANY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW JESUS.
Christmas is a very popular feast. It is a time for fun and enjoyment. People like to send Christmas cards, buy gifts, enjoy a special meal, or go on vacation. Students like Christmas as they usually have a long school vacation. What is forgotten is the reason for Christmas. It is the celebration of the birthday of Jesus. We must be prepared well to celebrate Christ’s birthday.
B. WHO IS JESUS?
Jesus is God’s gift to the world. He is the light of the world who will guide us
to happiness, joy, and eternal life. Jesus is
the savior of the world who gives us the power to resist sin and live a life
imitating his. We prepare to celebrate this
great birthday by doing the following. i)
Making a good confession. ii) Having a
Christmas crib in your home. iii)
Inviting someone to go to Christmas Mass.
4. CONCLUSION
Father John knew that the prisoners enjoyed Christmas. He also knew that the prisoners did not know
that this great feast was to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. John the Baptist came to help the people
recognize and prepare for the coming of Jesus. We must also help others to know about Jesus
and to prepare their hearts for his coming. We must prepare well for his coming
into our hearts.
