Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 / 1 Thess 5:16-24 / John 1:6-8, 19-28
As we begin the third week of Advent, there is a certain anxiety as well as an expectation.
In less than two weeks, it will be Christmas, but it doesn’t look like Christmas is around the corner.
Even in and around the parish, we couldn’t quite put up the decorations yet because of the repair and repainting works.
We didn’t want the white paint to drip on the decorations and make it a white Christmas, literally.
Even putting up the Nativity scenes inside and outside the church was done with a bit of hesitation, and precautions had to be taken.
Still, we will move on towards Christmas. We must move on towards Christmas.
Even though there are cancellations of festive events, the celebration of Christmas is our expectation and there will be no cancellation.
And with the lighting of the third candle of the Advent wreath, which is the rose- coloured candle, it signifies the lighting of hope, that there will be rejoicing.
Because this beautiful time of Advent is to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and to open doors of hope.
The gospel of this Sunday is a bit similar to that of last Sunday in that it features John the Baptist … again.
John the Baptist may seem to be a rather out-of-place figure in our preparation for the Christmas celebration.
But he is an important figure in the Advent season, because as the gospel says, he was sent by God, to be a witness, to speak for the light.
He preached a message of repentance and the baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
And that is actually the essence of our Advent preparation isn’t it?
Because repentance and forgiveness of sins will lead to a rejoicing and fulfil our expectations of a meaningful Christmas celebration.
The rose-coloured candle of the Advent wreath reminds us that we are given the Holy Spirit who will help us to be witnesses like John the Baptist was the witness.
We are to bring good news to the poor and bind up hearts that are broken.
We are to turn the situation of darkness and gloom into light and make it bright.
Yes, the darkness and gloom have broken our hearts and we long to hear good news of hope and rejoicing.
We have been spammed with the gloomy news of the spreading pandemic, rising infections, closing of businesses and increasing stress and anxiety.
But the 2nd reading reminds us to be happy at all times, to pray constantly and for all things to give thanks to God.
With this call to mend broken hearts and to be witnesses of hope, let us begin with the messages that we send to others.
Some messages are seen as spam and in the email it may end up in the spam folder.
But let us send Spirit-filled messages and change the understanding of spam into an acronym: Special Prayers And Messages.
Yes, we must send out Special Prayers And Messages so as to bring hope and mend broken hearts.
This weekend, the Archdiocese launches a year-long celebration of 200 years of the existence of the Church in Singapore, also known as Catholic200SG.
The mission of the church is to bring hope and to mend broken hearts. That is also our mission.
Let this Advent be an Advent of Special Prayers And Messages.
Let us remember that God has called us to this mission and He will help us to be witnesses of Hope and to be menders of broken hearts.