Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We have spent the days of this Advent season preparing the way for Jesus. The coming of the Messiah is foretold in the Scriptures, and the Israelites were called upon to be ready to welcome him when he should appear. The liturgical observation of the season of Advent allows us to do the same.

In the gospel this weekend, the imprisoned John the Baptist sends his followers to Jesus to ask if He is the Messiah. John already knows the answer, as he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. But he sends his followers to ask so that they can personally encounter Jesus, and not only encounter Him, but see in the encounter the fulfillment of their long-held hopes. It is important for us to remember how the Scriptures foretold the Messiah who was to come. From the fall of Adam and Eve, sin has infected the world, and it is that which the Messiah comes to heal. The Messiah would be the one to bring peace, healing, justice, order, and restoration to the people of Israel. Jesus tells the disciples of John to recount what they see. The healings they see have a spiritually symbolic purpose that restores what was broken by the original sin in Eden.

• “The blind regain their sight,” – The first thing Adam and Eve notice when they disobeyed God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree is that they are naked. As a result, they covered themselves in fig leaves and hid from God. Blindness, besides being a difficult physical condition, is a symbol for the blindness we have to God, the way that sin covers up our ability to see what should be good and true.
• “the lame walk,” – Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve walked with God and had conversation with him. After the fall, they hide from God, and are no longer able to walk with the Lord. When Jesus heals the lame, He is restoring humanity’s capacity for truly walking with God.
• “lepers are cleansed,” – Leprosy is a disease that causes the body to decay even while it is still alive. Lepers, as you will remember from the Gospels, were outcasts, not because of any moral fault, but because their illness was so contagious that it was a danger to the community. Sin is spiritual leprosy. It is dangerous both for the one who commits sin and for the community. Sin makes us spiritually unclean. But Jesus comes to cleanse us.
• “the deaf hear,” – Remember that Adam and Eve hide themselves from God and he must call out to them. Sin makes it harder for us to hear the voice of God, to have that easy conversation that was once possible in Eden. Jesus comes to restore our capacity to hear the voice of the Father.
• “the dead are raised,” – as a consequence of their sin, Adam and Eve will no longer live forever. Human life now has a limit. The Messiah comes to restore to fallen humanity the gift of everlasting life. Death will have no power over us, and when Jesus raises the dead, He is demonstrating His messianic power over this consequence of original sin.
• “and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” – In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were able to cultivate and reap with ease. One of the last consequences of their sin is that they will have to labor for their food. With the sweat of the brow comes difficulty, and even poverty. The Messiah will come to provide for the needs of all. Jesus restores our ease.

As we continue these Advent days, we might look to our own humanity. Where am I blind, lame, deaf, a leper, dead, or poor? Looking ahead to the day when we will welcome our Messiah and Lord, we can prepare by bringing to Him those very parts of our lives that are most in need of healing, which are precisely the reason He came.

Peace,

Fr. Sam