Third Sunday of
Advent
15 December 2024
Church Year C
Meno male
Luke 3:10-18
Fr. Richard Miserendino
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In
general, there are two strategies to make something better. Decrease to bad or
increase the good.
The
two are not identical. For
instance, making something taste less bad is not the same as
making it taste good, clothing that don’t stink isn’t
necessarily clean, etc. One
of my favorite phrases in Italian captures this: “Meno male.” It
literally translates to “less bad,” but often means “thank
goodness” and is said when you catch a lucky break. Yet still, “less bad”
is underwhelming. It’s
starkly different than making something good. Often, it’s tempting
to see improvement only in terms of the “meno male,” making
things less bad, even in the spiritual life.
That
tracks
with our Gospel for this Sunday, wherein St. John the Baptist
seems to be providing courageous calls to repentance, but which
always seem to land on “less bad” instead of “more good.” His advice to his
hearers is very reasonable, but kind of sad that it needs to be
give in the first place. Stop
hogging your food and clothing.
Stop stealing, lying and cheating. Repent, avoid sin, and
be less bad.
For
this,
the crowds are ready to name him the Messiah, which shows just
how beautiful, humble and powerful his witness was. After all, at least
“less bad” was an improvement.
John was a ray of hope piercing the darkness of the
world. Preaching to
a world that has agonized through the midnight hours of sin
without relief, John provides the first cracks of dawn by which
people can just start to see truth, goodness and beauty anew. By the dawning light
of the forerunner, hope again becomes visible.
It
reminds us to be patient, not to make the perfect the enemy of
the good, and that even flawed and stumbling attempts at the
good, the “less bad,” can still be beautiful. All this is fitting
for Gaudete Sunday, where the Advent purple gives way to rose, a
sign of dawning light that points to a fuller golden-white
Christmas splenor to come.
But
still
to those claiming John as the Messiah, one might ask: Is that
(less bad) all there is? Is
that all the Messiah came to bring? Tips for making your
day less bad or the darkness a little less dim?
Thankfully,
John
points to the truth: “I am baptizing you with water, but one
mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Repentance is necessary, but it paves the way for
something better.
One
mightier
than John is coming. A
lot mightier in fact, such that John, great as he is, feels
unworthy to touch even his sandals. And here is the reason
for our Advent joy, which exceeds even the best hopes the world
has to offer: There is in Christ and his grace, something so
much better than “less bad.”
We could even call it “very good.” In fact, it’s the well
spring of all goodness that completely banishes the darkness of
sin altogether just like the noonday sun banishes shadows. We can see by the
light of dawn, but full sunlight is more dazzling, revealing the
true color and beauty of things in a way that has no rival.
As
Christians, we rejoice in Christ’s light come into the world in
fullness. It means
that, by life in the Holy Spirit, we cannot just avoid sin, but
live in virtue. Beyond
“not stealing or selfish hoarding,” we can make a gift out of
ourselves in Christlike generosity. We can proceed beyond
foolishness, through worldly craftiness, even to arrive at
prudence and wisdom itself.
We can even live not by lies, but courageously and boldly
for the truth. All
that, we do in Christ. We
don’t just dodge the bullet of sin and death by a lucky break,
to which we merely say “memo male.” Rather, by God’s mercy
we even inherit eternal life, and in rapture we proclaim “Deo
Gratias.” For what
did the Messiah bring beyond “less bad,” if not the goodness of
God himself?