Testify to the Light

A reflection for the 3^rd Sunday, Advent, Year B. The readings are Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; Luke 1:46-54; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 and John 1:6-8, 19-28.

Always, at this time of the year, I am struck by how the days get so much shorter. I grew up in Panama and there, the times of the sunrises and sunsets are very regular – there is very little variation depending on the time of the year. No matter what time of the year is, the sunrise is always anywhere between 6 and 6:30am and the sunset is anywhere between 6 and 6:30pm.  But here in Canada it’s very clear that this time of the year is a time of darkness. The sunrise this morning was 7:50am and the sunset tonight will be at 4:40pm.

It reminds me of a story about a wise teacher who asked his students to tell him how they new when the dawn had arrived; to tell him how they knew the precise moment when it was no longer night and it was now day.  One student put up her hand, “I know teacher.  I know that the dawn has arrived when there’s just enough light that I can see an animal 200 ft away and I know if it’s a small deer or a large dog.” “That’s very good”, said the teacher, “but it’s not the answer I am looking for.” Another student put up his hand, “Teacher, I know. I know that the dawn has arrived when there’s just enough light that if I see a tree, 500 feet away, I can tell if it’s a pine tree or a spruce.” “That’s also very good”, said the teacher, “but it’s also not the answer I am looking for.” And so, other students tried to come up with the answer that the teacher was looking for.

I think that perhaps, from the beginning of time, human beings have been fascinated with darkness and light, with night and day – because I think, God has created us for the light. And Advent, is a time when we are reminded – especially here in the northern hemisphere, that darkness is very much part of life. But Advent reminds us that the darkness only makes sense if it points us to the dawn, if it points us to the light.  And this third Sunday of Advent, when we wear rose coloured vestments and we light the rose coloured candle is a clear reminder that we are not staying in the darkness, but we are moving towards the light. That is why, even though, traditionally, the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday, or “Rejoice” Sunday has a theme of joy, I am going to suggest that the theme for us this week, is Light. (Maybe joy and light are the same thing?)

There are two things about today’s Gospel that really struck me. The first is that it says that John the Baptist was not the Light, but he came to testify to the Light. Who is the Light? Jesus.

Then later on he tells those who are questioning him that the one who is to come is “among you , whom you do not recognize.”

Jesus is among us and we do not recognize him.

Especially at this dark time of the year when we surround ourselves with artificial lights – we decorate our homes with lights and we decorate our trees with lights and we have so many other lights that distract us from the one who is the one true Light.

So we need to focus on the Light and we also are called to testify to the Light. But it’s hard to be Light in a world that is so full of darkness.

In the Gospel of Luke (4:17-21), Jesus is in the synagogue and he takes up the scroll from Isaiah and reads the passage from today’s first reading – about himself: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me. To bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favour…”   How are we to be Light? By doing that: bring glad tidings, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives and announce a year of favour.  It’s not that hard. We just have to choose to be Light and do it.

And when we do, Isaiah says that you will “rejoice heartily in the Lord.”  When we testify to the Light, it fills us with joy.

St. Paul tells the Thessalonians to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, to give thanks in all circumstances…. That is how we testify to the Light.  We choose joy, every day; we give thanks in all circumstances. Praying without ceasing may seem hard if you think of praying the Lord’s prayer and the Hail Mary all day long, but it’s not that hard if you think of choosing joy and Light in everything you do.

Let’s do that this last week of Advent. Let’s wake up every morning and choose to be a people of Light – to testify to the Light – to bring Light into this world that is so full of darkness – to bring joy to others. Say Merry Christmas; open the door for someone, smile and say hello; slow down and let that other driver who is trying to squeeze in – let him in. And most importantly, let’s testify to the Light in our own homes with our husbands, our wives, our children, our parents, our siblings… say please and thank you and I’m sorry. It’s not that hard to testify to the Light. It is not hard to choose joy.

  The students couldn’t come up with the answer that the teacher was looking for so they asked him, “Teacher, tell us. How do you know when the dawn has arrived?” The teacher said. “You will know that the dawn has arrived when you look at the person sitting on your left and on your right and you recognize them as brothers and sisters, as one, and treat them as one. Then you will know that the dawn has arrived. Then it won’t matter if it’s midnight or noon because it will always be the dawn. And we will be filled with Light. And we will fill the world with joy.”