In the beginning of today’s Gospel, John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus asking the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

I related to this question, for as I matured on my faith journey, this is a question that I have asked and ultimately ended up deepening my faith in Jesus.

When asked, Jesus’ response included the miracles that he performed, to whom the good news is preached and the proclamation that “blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” This brought to mind two thoughts to me.  The first being John 20:29 where Jesus states to Thomas “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” a reminder that we are called to form our faith in the Gospels and not require direct proof from God as to his divinity.  The second being, that we are called to proclaim our belief and love in Jesus, in words and in actions.  As we are in the midst of Advent this is a good time to remind ourselves to be bold in expressing our joy as the hope, promise, and love that is manifested in Christ’s birth is celebrated, and to also express his words in actions, whether it be in a kind word to someone in need of one, a helping action to someone, or a donation made to a charity. 

We all have the ability whether it be the giving of our time, talent or treasure to put God’s love into action this season, and my wish is to you that when this is done, you feel God’s presence as you live your faith, strengthening the belief in the answer to the question that John the Baptist posed, that yes, Jesus is the one who has come.