3rd Sunday of Advent (2023)

“Who are you?” There is something about a secret that is irresistible. When someone has a secret they won’t tell us, we can become frustrated with them. Even if it doesn’t impact our lives directly, we want to know secrets. We want to have the complete scoop on what is happening around us. Knowing a secret is being kept from us causes tensions that need resolving. Secrets heighten our curiosity, and we want to know everything about what is being held back from us.

In today’s gospel, John the Baptist has a secret, and the religious authorities have gone to great lengths trying to get him to reveal it. They sent priests and Levites out into the desert to demand John the Baptist disclose the secret of his identity. They won’t accept John being mysterious and try to pin him down by asking if he might be the Christ, the returned Elijah, or the prophet Moses foretold, but John won’t reveal his secret. 

We keep secrets at certain times because it is prudent not to reveal them. We know telling the truth could put people in danger. John the Baptist wanted to keep his identity confidential because people didn’t appreciate prophets in his day. Israel had a long history of killing them. If he were to claim to be a prophet, it would arouse the suspicions of the Roman authorities. At that time, it was sensible to keep his identity secret.

Sometimes, we must keep secrets until it is timely to reveal them. John knew he was not the Messiah but the one to proclaim the Messiah’s coming. John wouldn’t let the religious authorities know his role because the time for God’s plan for Jesus to begin his ministry hadn’t come to fulfillment yet. John had to wait to reveal his secret identity until after Jesus began to preach. 

We often reveal secrets when they have become a great burden for us. We tell others our secrets because we need to share them to protect ourselves or others from harm or to reach out for help with difficult situations.

Sharing our secrets with others helps us deepen our relationships with them. Letting people know our secrets develops a rapport with them. John the Baptist did that for his followers when those sent out from Jerusalem kept pressing him to let them in on the secret of who he was, and he said:

“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert

Make straight the way of the Lord.”

It was a coded message to John’s followers to let them in on the secret of his identity. John knew he should only reveal his identity to people he knew were trustworthy. It went over the heads of the priests and Levites, but those who knew John understood his message. They understood his secret identity. 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been preaching about the secrets of Christmas. I’ve told you that God has secrets. Yes, God reveals many secrets in the Gospel of John that we have read from today. For most of the coming year, we will read from the Gospel according to Mark. One of Mark’s primary themes is how Jesus revealed His messianic secret but how His disciples found it difficult to understand Him until after Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

God has secrets, but God keeps His secrets for us and not from us. God hides secrets, so we will want to seek out their answers. God keeps secrets, so we will look for the answers, learn the truth, and grow in wisdom and the knowledge of God. John the Baptist had some secrets he had learned from God. He learned them from the preaching of prophets who were before him. John the Baptist knew his call was to share those secrets with the world.

The story of Christmas is full of prophets. They play an essential role. Some prophets are important ones, like John the Baptist and Isaiah. Still others are ordinary people like the Virgin Mary, Joseph, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, the shepherds, and the Magi. Ordinary people like you and me can play a prophet’s role.

Last week, I told you that if we are to be the prophets we were anointed to be at our baptism, we must be properly positioned to receive God’s call to prophecy. We must be open to God’s voice. When we share a secret, we normally take a person aside and tell them in a whisper or confidential voice. God does a similar thing called prayer. God reveals secrets to people who make themselves available to listen to God’s voice in a place away from distractions. God reveals secrets to those God has built up confidence in because a relationship has developed over time.

We need to take time for daily prayer to have God reveal His secrets to us. A deep relationship with God won’t come about if our prayer time is limited to attending weekly Mass. For us to have a trusting relationship with God, we need to pray with God daily. So, find a quiet spot at a time of day that works best for you. You can start praying for as little as ten minutes and gradually increase your time. Maybe read a few verses of the Bible and quietly ask God to help you hear the secrets that God is telling you about His plan for your life.

Through prayer, we will get a better understanding of our identity. Much of our identity comes from our role in our family and community. Many people identify as a parent, Mother, or Father. Some find their identity in their job or occupations. Others find their focus through hobbies and advocations.

John the Baptist was a great prophet. All four gospels say he had many people following him. Even Josephus, a great historian of the time, mentions John the Baptist’s impact on the people. Everyone reported that John had a tremendous impact because he spoke with authority.

John could speak with such power because he was sure of his identity as a prophet. He learned it through a close relationship with God. His father, Zacariah, was a priest because of his inherited role, but John came from a family who took their faith seriously. They took him to the synagogue to pray and listen to scripture.

Scripture, especially the verse from Isaiah Chapter 40:

“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert

Make straight the way of the Lord.”

spoke to him, and he came to identify with it. It was the passage where John the Baptist heard God’s call to be a prophet.

We also have a prophetic identity because we are followers of Jesus Christ. It is a secret God wants to reveal to us as we pray with the scriptures; God wants you to discover that passage from the Bible where, like John, you can find your identity.

While praying, look for a few verses or a story that resonates with you, one you feel drawn to and gives you insight into yourself. Maybe it will be “called to be a saint” from Ephesians 2:19, “reconciled to God” as Paul told the Romans, or “gifted” from First Peter.

For me, the passage that I depend on to guide my life is Jeremiah 1:7:

“To whomever I send you, you shall go;

Whatever I command you, you shall speak.”

I do not remember when I first became acquainted with this verse, but it spoke to me early in my faith life. It was the verse I printed on my ordination invitations, and a woman from my home parish gave me a needlepoint version of it that I have hanging on my wall where I can see it every day.

God’s instruction to Jeremiah has such deep meaning to me because, like him, my life of prophecy has not always been smooth. God has asked me to go places I was reluctant to go and to speak words I knew would not be accepted by everyone.

My affinity for this passage from Jeremiah reached a new level when I came to this parish. I was especially anxious because I knew my approach to ministry was very different from that of my predecessor. I felt the need for changes that could not wait for implementation. I realized the status quo could not continue because it was damaging the faith of many parishioners. I knew I had to confront some parishioners’ minimalist consumer Catholic attitudes. They had an attitude of “get my obligation out of the way as quickly as possible so I can go on with my week.”

You’ll remember it didn’t sit well with some people unaccustomed to being challenged in their faith. One woman ran large display ads for a month in the local newspaper urging parishioners to write to the bishop demanding my removal. At that point, I felt like Jeremiah, whose enemies once dropped him down a well to die.

At one point, the bishop, Vicar General, and Vicar for Clergy met with me to see if I wanted to continue being pastor here at Holy Redeemer or receive another assignment. I told them I would stay. I felt at peace with myself because I identified with God’s words to Jeremiah.

“To whomever I send you, you shall go;

Whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Have no fear before them,

because I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord.”

At that moment, I came to a clearer understanding of my identity in Christ. Some parishioners may have left the parish, and it is always heartbreaking to see them go, but I knew I could not let them prevent me from being faithful to my identity and God’s secret plans for this community of faith. I feel we have made good progress towards following that plan these past few years, and our future holds the promise for more faithful growth.

This week, look to find your secret identity. Who are you? You will find out if you are faithful to your prayer time this week, even if it is the last busy week before Christmas. If you do not pray daily, start this week. It will be the best Christmas gift you can give yourself and the ones you love. Listen to God, who wants to share your secret identity with you. Listen as God speaks to you, telling you who you are and sharing your secret identity as a prophet and faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.