THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT - YEAR C - Gospel (Lk

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT - YEAR C
Gospel
(Luke 3: 10 - 18)
The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”
Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.
The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Word of God for Everyone
Dear People of God,
In today's Word of God, God wants to tell all humanity that: to come to the Supreme God, to be happy and peaceful in His grace; to have eternal life and to be worthy to welcome the mystery of God's Son coming to earth as a human, we must follow what God teaches, know to obey, fear, listen to God's Word and put it into practice.
Firstly, He sent His prophets to announce the coming of God's reign and to dwell among humanity; to announce God's absolute and infinite love and grace for humanity. Humans must eliminate evil acts, immoral and frivolous lifestyles, lust, passions, and worldly luxuries in order to come close to God, to receive His light and grace.
The Kingdom of God is near! It was not only the people long ago who listened to the Word of God, who listened to the words of His prophets, but today, under the working of the Holy Spirit, God wants His children to listen to the words of the prophets long ago and believe in the truth that God came down to earth as a human being, has accompanied, loved and will be with humanity until the end of the world. Believe in His love and grace as the truth, that is God made man, among people. Specifically today, God wants His children to listen to the call of Saint John the Baptist, and return to reconcile with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so that He can cleanse them of their sins and drive out Satan who has been hiding deep within them since the time when they had intellect, when people knew how to sin; so that people can be pure and clean before God; then people will listen to the Word of God and put it into practice so God can grant them the grace of faith, the grace of conversion and the grace of healing of the body and soul.
The Gospel recounts the image of the people, sinners and soldiers who came to ask Saint John the Baptist: “please show us what we must do to please God, please teach us what we must do to welcome the Messiah, to welcome the Only Son of God who came to earth as a human being?" Likewise, each of us today:
Run to God to ask for the grace of reconciliation with Him.
Repent sincerely and be determined to abandon the path of sin.
Love as God loves, forgive as God has forgiven, and sacrifice as God has sacrificed.
Know how to submit to God's will and trust in His power, at all times and in all places.
Live a humble life, following the example of Saint John the Baptist, when he sincerely told the people who mistakenly thought he was the Messiah: “I am not the Messiah, but there is someone coming after me who is more powerful than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Saint John always directed everything to the almighty God with an absolute and unique faith in which: only God is the One who brings eternal life to humans, only God with His power and strength can cleanse humans from all sins and free humans from the captivity of Satan. Thanks to that steadfast faith, Saint John the Baptist strongly proclaimed that the reign of God was near, the reign of King Jesus Christ. The One who will come to cleanse humans from the stain of sin "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire!" He will bring joy and eternal life to humans both in this life and in the next.
Therefore, God calls on us of this era: always prepare our soul and body to be pure and clear, waiting for the day when God's Son comes to earth as a human being in joy, happiness, and praise and thanksgiving to God. Because “although God does not need our praise, our praise and thanksgiving to Him is a gift from God, because our praises add nothing to His greatness but bring us eternal salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Thanks be to God. Amen.