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What Should We Do?

14/12/2018

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A Reflection on the Gospel for December 16th, 2018:
​Third Sunday of Advent

Luke 3.10-18

The crowds, who were gathering to be baptized by John, asked him, “What should we do?” In reply John said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

So, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.

“What should we do?” 

I ask this question all the time. Whether I’m with friends and we’re trying to determine the Friday night plans, or with my colleagues as we determine the next step in a big project, or while in deep conversation with a loved one facing a challenging decision that will impact our lives forever. It’s an important question that needs to be asked. A question that is easily asked, but not always so easily answered. 

So what do you do when you don’t know what to do? And no, running away is not an option. In many cases, I turn to others for advice and opinions. My younger, overly independent self, often had a hard time asking questions let alone asking others for help. Yet asking questions is one of the only ways we can learn what we don’t know. I’ve also become selective about to whom I ask my questions. I look for experts, or at least someone who is more familiar with the circumstances I'm facing that are unfamiliar to me. Asking questions of someone “in the know” helps to determine if I am on the right track or totally out in left field. 

Luke’s Gospel reminds us that John the Baptist is a person who is “in the know”. He is a great prophet and teacher; an expert in the ways of the Lord. We know he was a prophetic voice crying out in the wilderness whose ability to witness the goodness of a yet-to-come Messiah garnered him a following. What sometimes baffles me is that he does this in the full awareness that he is preparing the way for someone greater than him to come and transform lives. So does that mean he really wasn’t an expert?  Maybe not an expert in all the ways Jesus would transform lives, but he was definitely an expert on how God changed his life. He encountered Christ — while he was still in the womb (Luke 1.41), and was literally born ready, and wanting to tell the world about it! 
"It is my encounter(s) with Christ that I can and must witness to others to help create the conditions for them to encounter Him also."
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​​Sometimes when I’m asked by a fellow disciple, or anyone really, “What should I do?”, I falter. I’m no expert! Self doubt creeps in and I can inevitably rattle off something I think they want to hear. But like John the Baptist, I too have encountered Christ personally. The gift of that encounter is what I am an “expert” in, because it happened to me. It is my encounter(s) with Christ that I can and must witness to others to help create the conditions for them to encounter Him also. During this third week of Advent, may we continue to prepare for Christ to once again be born in our hearts. Let’s truly pay attention to the words of the experts of our faith, like John the Baptist, and proclaim the good news of Christ to the people in our lives because, well, it’s what we should do!

Aurea Sadi
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