What Will You Do?

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, December 15th, 2024:
Third Sunday of Advent

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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.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

What should I do? I ask myself that question a dozen… okay, maybe a hundred…times a day.  There are just so many decisions to make. Adulting is hard! Despite my reluctance, I do make decisions about what I should do each and every day. Sometimes they’re not great decisions, but most of the time, hopefully, they are decisions that make a positive impact on my world, my people, and myself. I can only make good decisions when I do two things: ask and accept.

When faced with a decision, whether as simple as what to order at a restaurant or as complicated as what path to take with a work project, I try to remember that I’m not the first one to ever do this. I can ask someone about it.  Sure, I can rely on my own experience, but I can also ask a friend, a co-worker, or someone who has been in my shoes before. 

I find that the person I turn to most when I am faced with the more complex decisions in my life is God.  I count myself as a disciple of Christ, one who wishes to follow God's will for my life. So of course I will consult God. I do so directly through prayer, or indirectly through those in my life who know Him—like those in this Gospel who sought out John the Baptist’s direction for what to do.  For them, John was the closest to God that they had. Yet, John did not claim to be the Messiah. He offered prophetic teaching and advice based on what he knew God asked of the people of his time (and us today!) in order to be in right relationship with each other and ultimately with God.

Asking for help in making a decision is only half the story—the other half is to accept what is offered. This is the harder part. What happens if I don"t like what is offered? Or if I think the advice is wrong? Or the advice is just really hard to accept? Again, I turn to our God. God is present in this world, always, and will tell me what I need to do. I just need to see Him, hear Him, and most importantly receive Him. How? By opening my heart to receive the Incarnate Christ. The One whom John the Baptist calls us to prepare for.

Christ came into our world, became man, and experienced human life in order to reveal God to us.  He too asked His Father that fateful question in his final hours: What should I do? In turn, Jesus accepted death on the cross; a sacrifice that literally changed the world.

In these final days of Advent, a season of preparation, what should we do? 

For myself, I will prepare to make space in my heart to receive Christ’s coming into our world so that I can continue to know what I should do, day in and day out.

What will you do?




Aurea Sadi

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