On this Gaudete Sunday, the joy of Christmas is invading the Advent season. However, in the Gospel account, the imprisoned John the Baptist seems to be in a dark place when he sends his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?"
Jesus responds: "Go and tell what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf are able to hear, and the poor have the Good News preached to them."
Jesus goes in a different direction than John: instead of preaching about the wrath of God and the punishment to come, he proclaims God's infinite mercy for one and all.
Fast-forward two thousand years, as we move from one location to another, we go Church shopping and ask a similar question to John: "Is this the parish for me or should I look for another?" What do we look for in a parish faith community?
Pope Francis gives us a wonderful guide in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium -- The Joy of the Gospel. Pope Francis says: Holy Communion is not a prize for the perfect, but powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak and for sinners.
Is our parish the real deal or should we look for another? Is the Lord's healing and liberation and Good News witnessed to in our parish life. In the words of Nelson Mandela: "There is no future without forgiveness." May we be a parish community that celebrates God's forgiveness and may we be bearers of forgiveness with one another.
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