His Excellency,
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., S.T.D.
Diocese of Belleville
December 14, 2025
Third Sunday of Advent
Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Waterloo
“Saint John The Baptist: Are You The One Who Is To Come?”
(This is the text as originally written. During the actual delivery, some passages were omitted and other comments were added spontaneously. Nota bene: This text has not been thoroughly proofread. Therefore, there may be errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
You are in Walmart trying to buy new Christmas tree lights since, of course, last year’s new lights don’t work this year! Suddenly a strange man comes roaring into the store half naked, dressed in the skin of a camel, held around his body by a leather belt. He has wild locusts in one hand and a honeycomb in the other. He is shouting words you cannot understand. You hear a customer complain, “Our kids came to see Santa and to tell him what they want for Christmas. Get this guy out of here!” As security drags the man out of the store, you hear his saying, “I am the Prophet! I am the Prophet!”
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John the Baptist is the central player in Advent even though he neither knows nor says anything about the birth of Jesus. No, John is the prophetic voice crying in the wilderness of your lives and my life, announcing that the adult Jesus IS the expected Messiah. He is a unique character in the New Testament, boldly declaring inconvenient and politically incorrect religious truths confidently, announcing truth to power, proclaiming a single, alarming message: “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” This is Advent’s central message: “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus of Nazareth and John the Baptist were blood relatives. Luke tells us Jesus’ mother, Mary and John’s mother, Elizabeth were “kinswomen,” perhaps distant cousins. There are many famous paintings showing John and Jesus playing together. Yet, Matthew, Mark, and John’s gospels do not mention that they were related. If they were related, it seems strange that, as adults, they have almost no contact with each other.
At times they seem to be in competition with each other as when John’s disciples think John, not Jesus, might be the Messiah. In the gospels John and Jesus only meet and speak briefly once when John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River. Later, in today’s reading, Matthew 11:2-11, they speak indirectly through their disciples, shortly before John is beheaded by King Herod Antipas. But nothing in these encounters suggests that they are related or that they had met before.
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In last Sunday’s gospel, there was no question in John’s mind, no doubt in his heart, about who Jesus was. As he prepares to Baptize Jesus in a Jewish baptism of repentance, John confidently condemns the Pharisees and Sadducees saying, “Now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” in this Sunday’s gospel, John is in prison facing death, and he is far less confident. He is experiencing doubts about who Jesus is. He sends his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” John’s perspective has changed. He is no longer at the Jordan River baptizing. He is in prison, awaiting almost certain death. And he is wondering if Jesus really is who he thought He was. If Jesus truly is the Messiah, is He going the allow the one who announced His coming to be executed?
John the Baptist was put in prison by King Herod because he presumed to confront Herod for acting immorally when he married, Herodias, his brother’s wife. She convinced the king to have John arrested. From his cell, John was not seeing any evidence that Jesus was the Expected One. Jesus was not doing what the Jewish people expected of the Messiah. Rome was still in power. Herod was as corrupt as ever. Jesus had not yet restored the Kingdom of Israel. It seemed unlikely that He would. And people like John were still finding themselves being oppressed and imprisoned. Is Jesus going to let John, his relative, die? We all know how the story ends. Herodias’ daughter, Salomé, does her famous dance and the king is so pleased that he promises her anything, even half of his kingdom. But he is shocked when Salomé, persuaded by her mother, demands, “I want the head of the Baptist on a silver platter!” Meanwhile Jesus does not answer John’s question directly. Instead, He says, “Tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, the lame walk, the dead are raised, and the poor have the Good News preached to them.” John, who devoted his life to preparing the way of the Lord, overcomes his doubts and is beheaded clinging to his faith in and his love for Jesus. John spoke truth to power. And he was put to death for it.
Then Jesus tells the crowd, “Among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John.” Jesus is saying that no one listening to Him is greater than John, who proclaimed, “Behold, Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” Jesus says none of you listening to me is greater than John the Baptist. Yet, the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John because John died before the death and resurrection of Jesus before the coming of the promised Holy Spirit. Jesus is implying that you and I can be greater than John the Baptist if we are living each day of Advent by the light of Resurrection Faith.
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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
As Advent draws to a close, You and I may be like John the Baptist persevering in faith even if we have questions and doubts about how Jesus is working in our troubled world. We might think Jesus is not doing the things in our world that we might expect Him to do. We might, like John, sometimes ask, “Is Jesus the One who is to come, or should we expect another? John the Baptists role in advent is to challenge and renew our faith in Jesus Christ. John, wanting us to celebrate Christmas worthily might ask us this morning: Have we been praying more and reading the Scriptures more during Advent? Have we made plans to go to Confession (the Sacrament of Reconciliation) before Christmas? Have we decided to resist the temptation to buy extravagant gifts, and instead to provide financial support to someone we know who is desperately in need? Are we telling children the TRUE story of St. Nicholas of Myra? Do our Christmas cards celebrate the birth of Christ, or do they say, “Seasons Greetings” and “Happy Holidays” showing snowy scenes celebrating nothing more than the winter solstice?
John, who bluntly spoke truth to power, might ask us: Are we praying and working to get Jesus out of the manger and into the world? Are we seriously studying the status of the cease fire agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the dreadful war in the very land of Jesus’ birth? Are we following with prayerful attention the posture of the United States in the negotiations to end Russia’s unjust war of aggression against the people of Ukraine? Are we seeking to understand accurately the efforts to end suspected drug smuggling by destroying boats in the Caribbean?
Have we been praying the family Rosary for peace in our world?
The strange, disheveled man who “disturbed” Christmas shoppers in Walmart wants to know what you are doing this Christmas to get Jesus of Nazareth out of the manger and into the world!
Praised be Jesus Christ. Both now and forever. Amen!