Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-26 / Luke 7:19-23
A spiral staircase is certainly not that easy to climb up nor would it be that easy to go down with.
Whether going up or going down, the step are irregular and we need to be careful and hold on to the railings.
Also because it is a spiral, so not the whole staircase can be seen; it's only a few steps at a time.
In a way, faith is like going up or down a spiral staircase. We can't see the whole staircase, we need to go one step at a time, we have to be careful and hold on to the railings.
The question that John the Baptist posed in the gospel is essentially a question of faith: "Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for someone else?"
John the Baptist was the greatest of prophets but even he had his doubts about Jesus and he had to ask the question about Jesus.
It was he who pointed out Jesus and proclaimed, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
But now he seemed unclear and uncertain about what he had said about Jesus. John the Baptist may have his doubts, but his prophetic words about Jesus are irrevocable because they are not human words but divine words.
This is what God said about His words in the 1st reading: "By my own self I swear it; what comes from my mouth is truth, a word irrevocable."
As we come to this point of the Advent journey, we await to celebrated the Word made flesh in the person of Jesus.
May we not lose faith in God's Word but go on each step at a time even though we may not be able to see everything.