Short Sermon on the Fidelity of the Servant -4th Sunday of Advent(2020.12.20)

Introduction :
In the Epistle, St. Paul tells us: "Let a man so account us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now here it is required in stewards that a man be found trustworthy" (I Cor 4;1). Let us say a few words about this fidelity that the Good Lord expects from us.

Divine government
God the Creator of the universe and our lives is the Source of all wisdom and goodness. He knows and organises everything down to the smallest details, from the first moment of the world to the last. Does this mean that we have nothing else to do but to "undergo" God's plan, passively and with fatalism? Not at all, because God introduces us, to a certain extent, to the knowledge and understanding of His plan so that we can take an active, free and voluntary part in its execution. What the Good Lord therefore expects from us is the acceptance and faithful execution of His plan, each one at his own level. It is like an architect who has drawn up the detailed plan of a house and explains it to the foreman who is going to build the house: what does he expect from the foreman? To be faithful to carry out the plan as indicated and to put all his know-how and energy into it. The Good Lord has revealed to us through the Bible and the perennial teaching of the Church's Magisterium what we should know about His plan, established for the glory of the Holy Trinity and the eternal salvation of mankind by Our Lord Jesus Christ: He expects us now to work on it actively and faithfully, applying all our energy and qualities to it with perseverance.

Faithfulness of St. John the Baptist
During Advent, the Church makes us meditate particularly on St. John the Baptist. He is the type of the faithful servant, a great model for all of us. The Good Lord laid out in details the plan of the Incarnation, the life of the Saviour in Palestine. He established St. John the Baptist to be the precursor of the Saviour and introduced him into the knowledge of the Mystery of the Incarnation so that he could prepare souls to welcome Our Lord Jesus Christ and send them to Him. In his hymn, St. Zechariah prophetically expressed his son's programme: "Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways: to give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins."(Lk 1:77). St. John the Baptist understood his place in God's plan and faithfully fulfilled his mission, preaching the salutary truth to each and every one.To all he said, "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of penance" (Lk 3; 8) and "he that has two coats, let him give to him that hast none; and he that hast meat, let him do in like manner" (Lk 3; 11).To thieving officials he preached the virtue of justice: "Do nothing more than that which is appointed you” (Lk 3; 13); to the police and army, brutal and oppressive, he preached the virtue of Fortitude: "Do violence to no man, neither calumniate any man; and be content with your pay" (Lk 3; 14); to the proud and heretical religious leaders, he denounced their malice: "Ye, brood of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Mt 3 7) and he preached to them the humility of the true servant of Jesus Christ: "the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose" (Jn 1; 27); to the scandalous political leaders, he denounced their corruption: "It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife" (Mk 6:18); to all, St. John the Baptist showed the way to eternal salvation: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who taketh away the sin of the world... and I saw and gave testimony that this is the Son of God" (Jn 1:29,34). And because of his faithful testimony, he was murdered. Should we be shocked by this? Should we be afraid of it? No, because "Now here it is required in stewards that a man be found trustworthy " and this up to martyrdom. St John the Baptist was faithful to the end. Glory to him: "Amen I say to you, there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist" (Mt 11:11).

Our own faithfulness
This phrase of St. Paul "Now here it is required in stewards that a man be found trustworthy " applies to each one of us. We are the stewards, each at our own level, of the treasure of Faith: the Good Lord has made known to us how all honour is given to Him only through Our Lord Jesus Christ, how the salvation of mankind is possible only through Our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no need to look for a mission: what we are asked to do is to be the faithful witnesses to Christ in our personal life, our family life, our social and political life. And too bad, if this does not please the publicans, soldiers,

Pharisees, Sadducees and Herods of the civil and religious societies of our times.

Dear Faithful, during the time of Advent we are preparing two events: the first one is about the past and it is the birthday of the Saviour on Christmas Day. In honour of Jesus, you are going to offer various gifts to your children, relatives and friends: that's good. The second event concerns the future and it is the coming of the same Saviour at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead. In view of this moment, there is a very precious gift to give to your children, parents and friends: the Catholic Faith. Our Lord gave a terrible warning in the Gospel: "When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth? "(Lk 18:8), which suggests our falling into tepidity and unfaithfulness. So, while you are wrapping your Christmas presents, remember that above anything else, towards and against all odds and even at the cost of your life, it is the living Catholic Faith that you must pass on.