OMELIE / Omelie EN

14 dic 2025

14/12/2025 - 3rd Sunday T. A. - Year A

14/12/2025 - 3rd Sunday T. A. - Year A

First reading Is 35:1-6, 8, 10 from Psalm 145 Second reading Jas 5:7-10 Gospel Mt 11:2-11

We are struck by Jesus' last words about his predecessor, John, who prepared the way for his coming: “Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” The praise he gives to John is the highest that can be said of a man: no one is greater than him, not even those who have received the title of “the Great” from men.

Yet there is another order of greatness that cannot be compared with what we normally consider: it is the greatness that exists in the Kingdom of Heaven.

What could Jesus have been thinking? Those who are baptised are immersed in divine life, they are “baptised” in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Those who are baptised are immersed in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus himself: this is a new greatness, unknown to the men of this world, it is the greatness of God.

John baptised with a baptism of repentance to prepare for the Kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom where Jesus is king. However, he was unable to enter this Kingdom, he was unable to be baptised by Jesus' disciples to participate in the mystery of his Passover, nor was he able to be nourished by his Body and Blood. With those words, Jesus did not want to humiliate John, who is undoubtedly now among the saints in the heavenly assembly, but he wanted to make us desire to be among his disciples.

John was in prison because of his frankness in reminding everyone, even the powerful, of the Word of God. He knew he had announced the Messiah, but he could not see the signs he expected from him.

This is why he sent his disciples to Jesus, to make sure he was not mistaken. Jesus' answer is very beautiful. He does not say yes or no, but says: look with your own eyes and you will see, look at what I do and compare it with the signs announced by the prophets, and you yourself will be able to say who I am.

John knew the words and prophecies of the prophets and knew that the Servant of God would open the eyes of the blind and the mouths of the mute. He knew that in his day the lame would run and the paralytic would rise. The prophets had said these amazing things, and now they are happening when Jesus is present and approaches the suffering. It is not difficult to recognise his identity.

The Scriptures and the works that correspond to them are the key to understand events and times. From this we understand how much importance Jesus gave to the knowledge of the Scriptures. If we had a great love for them, the same love we have for God and his Son Jesus, we would have a more attentive and precise discernment of what is happening, and our service in the world would be more effective.

Saint James offers us an example of discernment in his letter: God's promises are slow to be fulfilled, the Son of Man is slow to come. What shall we do?

Let us look to the prophets: they are “an example of hardship and patience”, and so let us also revive our patience. We even have an example from what happens in nature: the farmer, from sowing to harvesting, does nothing but exercise patience for a long time. So we, who sow the Word of God and fill our lives with prayer, are patient, and in our patience we do not precede the Lord's judgement by complaining about one another.

Let us keep alive our joy and gladness because God's promises will be fulfilled: “Be strong, fear not! Here is your God...he comes to save you.”

John the Baptist's efforts will be rewarded, his doubt is already resolved: Jesus is the one who is supposed to come, has come, and will come.