Advent 3C (Luke 3:7-18)

St. John the Baptist is eager to prepare the hearts and minds of those seeking baptism. He rebukes them sharply: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance.” His message is clear—the transformation of the heart must come before baptism. Baptism is a lifelong commitment to living out the presence of God within. Yet the crowd, not fully understanding, asks in confusion, “What then should we do?”

For us, it’s worth reflecting on how St. John is able to guide the crowd so effectively. His teaching empowers them to bear fruits worthy of repentance. These actions are skillful in two important ways. First, they help the crowd themselves cultivate lasting happiness. Second, they serve those in need in the most practical sense, adding to the well-being of others.

I’d like to share Langston Hughes’s I Look at the World. This poem echoes St. John’s message, as it might be expressed in our time:

I look at the world by Langston Hughes

I look at the world
From awakening eyes in a black face--
And this is what I see:
This fenced-off narrow space   
Assigned to me.

I look then at the silly walls
Through dark eyes in a dark face--
And this is what I know:
That all these walls oppression builds
Will have to go!

I look at my own body   
With eyes no longer blind--
And I see that my own hands can make
The world that's in my mind.
Then let us hurry, comrades,
The road to find.

St. John’s powerful teaching leaves the crowd in confusion. Could he be the prophesied Messiah? His response is clear: “No.” While he directs them to Jesus of Nazareth, his words are not an act of false humility. The 13th-century mystic Mechthild of Magdeburg beautifully captures St. John’s deep longing for Jesus—made even more intense by His absence—and the beauty and fruit that arise from true humility.



God’s Absence by Mechthild of Magdeburg

Ah blessed absence of God,
How lovingly I am bound to you!
You strengthen my will in its pain
And make dear to me
The long hard wait in my poor body.
The nearer I come to you,
The more wonderfully and abundantly
God comes upon me,
In pride, alas, I can easily lose you,
But in the depths of pure humility, O Lord,
I cannot fall away from you.
For the deeper I fall, the sweeter you taste.