Friday of the Third Week of Advent
Isaiah 56:1-3,6-8  +  John 5:33-36
December 16, 2016

“‘John was a burning and shining lamp….’”

As the first half of Advent concludes, Jesus fittingly speaks to the Church’s transition to Advent’s latter half in today’s Gospel passage.  He speaks to the relationship of John the Baptist to Himself.

Jesus states plainly:  “‘I have testimony greater than John’s.’”  Furthermore, Jesus states that while John “testified to the truth”, He Himself does “not accept testimony from a human being”.  It’s not that John isn’t testifying to Jesus, who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” [John 14:6].  Rather, John is not enough.  Advent itself needs to move beyond St. John the Baptist.  We need to look to the testimony that Jesus does accept.

“The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify….”  These words sum up all that we ought to meditate upon in the latter half of Advent.  These works sum up the One whose birth we are waiting for.  These works sum up the One sent to be Emmanuel, “God with us”.