Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-26 / Luke 7:19-23
Not many of us have the experience of being in prison or in some horrid dungeon.
To make matters worse there is no hope of release and death hangs heavily on the heart.
To be imprisoned in some forsaken dungeon is just another way of a slow, lonely and terrible death.
Hope and faith is as dark as the surroundings of the dungeon.
For John the Baptist, such was the situation, or even worse. He had been the one who pointed out Jesus as the Messiah.
He had portrayed Jesus as the one with the axe and the winnowing fan and bringing judgment and justice.
But in the dungeon he was not sure about Jesus anymore. In his distress he could be wondering why Jesus was not doing anything to get him out of prison.
Today's gospel passage tells us the John the Baptist was just as human as any of us.
In our own distress we too will doubt God and even get angry at Him for not helping us in our difficulties.
To have problems and difficulties arising at this time of the year can be really depressing.
While everybody is in a festive mood, we find ourselves sinking in our distress.
Yet Advent is a time to let our hearts be still and to know that "apart from God, all is nothing" (Isa 45:6)
He is our Deliverer and Saviour. Blessed are we who do not lose faith in Him