The Messiah in YOU
Homily on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, 14 Dec 2025, DBTC Chapel, Punta
Two weeks ago Pope Leo XIV went to make a pastoral visit to Turkey and Lebanon. It was his first ever trip as a Pope outside Italy. During those days I personally have been moved by almost all the short videos and footages uploaded on social media showing the awesome welcome he received from the people of both nations, even if majority of their population were Muslims.
While he was in Turkey, he met with Muslim leaders and visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul where he showed remarkable respect for Islam. But at the same time he exhibited a strong conviction for his own faith by declining to pray inside the mosque. Most importantly he met with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and together with him, he made a public profession of the Nicene Creed in its original form, that is, without the disputed phrase “filioque”.
Added to these, I was really impressed by the concluding Mass he celebrated in Beirut before a multitude of 150,000 people, all jubilant to see the Pope for the first time. Beirut by the way is in Lebanon where 32% of the population are Catholics. I believe this historic Papal visit has brought the whole world a step closer to PEACE and HARMONY. And we can say that Pope Leo XIV is really Jesus-with-us today bringing us hope, peace and salvation.
Today, we have lighted the third advent candle coloured rose. This candle stands for JOY. Why Joy?
In the first reading the prophet Isaiah presents to us the reason for our JOY. The Messiah whose coming we expect (Is 35:1-6a, 10) will bring great joy because his coming will effect wonderful changes in the world: “The desert and the parched land will exult, the steppe will rejoice and bloom… They will bloom with abundant flowers and rejoice with joyful song.”
More amazingly, according to Isaiah, much greater miracles will happen when the Messiah comes “the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.” I don’t know how you feel about this. But, hearing these words makes me feel very excited. It really calls us to intensify our preparation for the Lord’s coming.
Now, the gospel passage we heard from Matthew increases all the more our excitement. It presents to us John the Baptist (Mt 11:2-11) seeing the fruits of his mission. We know that he is the prophet sent by God to prepare the way of the Lord. And so, while inside his prison cell, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus whether he was really the Messiah whom everyone had been waiting for. The good news is YES! Awesome miracles were happening one after another, all because of Jesus: “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
Isaiah’s prophecies began to be fulfilled when Jesus, our Lord, came. Finally John the Baptist could rest in peace realizing that his mission has been accomplished. And so today, with eager longing and joyful hope, we lift up this prayer using the words of the Psalmist, “Lord, come and save us” (Ps 146: 6-10).
From our reflective listening to God’s Word, we realize that this Third Sunday of Advent is calling us really to heighten our preparation and increase our joyful expectation. Moreover, it also impels us to be on a common journey with the entire Church united with Christ towards transforming the world, making it a better place where peace, love and harmony abound.
The Messiah is already here with us. He comes every time we receive him in Holy Communion. And so, we are called and challenged to participate in his mission today of going to the poor, the sick and the underprivileged, and to enkindle their hope for a better future.
These past days I have been meeting with the Salesians assigned here in DBTC, as well as with the teachers, the parents and the students – and with various groups like the PTCA, the SYM club leaders, etc. And I realized that Don Bosco is not for the ultra rich and the wealthy. If we accept students from well-to-do families, it is because we want to partner with them in our mission for the poor and underprivileged youth.
In fact Don Bosco has always remained pro-poor with so many students enrolled as scholars every year at all levels from BED to College. Our best offer for the underprivileged youth is our TVET program. The enrolment continues to increase every year, especially with the recently launched three-year Diploma Program. Today it has around 200 students all studying for free. Thanks to the scholarship grant offered esp. by TESDA.
Allow me to end with this true-to-life story. Some days after typhoon Tino, a woman went to a grocery store with her 13-year old son. They bought boxes of goods and then repacked them at home. Then they went to the nearest area badly hit by the recent flash floods. They came to know that no one has come to help them even after a week has passed. And so, she and her son got down from their pick-up and started the distribution of the relief goods they have prepared. Everyone lined up while her son handed the food packs one after the other to the great joy of the people.
When they got back home, she and her son felt physically exhausted but their spirits high. They realized that even if they were not rich, God had empowered them to reach out to the less privileged from among their neighbours thus satisfying their hunger and restoring their big smiles.
Brothers and sisters, we don’t have to wait idly for the coming of the Messiah. We can make that happen today. In our own little way, we can be the Messiah people are longing for. We can be the change we want the world to be.
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus, come! GiGsss!
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