Gospel: Luke 3:10-18
People asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics, let him share with the one who has none; and whoever has food, do the same.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He told them, “Collect no more than you are authorized.” Some soldiers also asked him, “And what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone, nor falsely accuse anyone, and be content with your wages.” As the people were expecting and all were wondering in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Christ, he answered them all, saying: “I baptize you with water; but one mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” And with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people.

Fruit: Turning my heart toward God through concrete acts of love.

Guidelines for reflection
In the Gospel, John the Baptist conveys various teachings. To the people, he generally said: “Whoever has two tunics, let him share with the one who has none; and whoever has food, do the same.” This is a preview of the Gospel that invites us to be generous, to share our goods with others.

1. I need to do something
The Gospel presents a conversation between a group of Jews and John the Baptist. He began his preaching a few days ago, but his message strikes the conscience of the people. He speaks of an imminent event, very important, about to happen. Something great, awaited by all, announced by the prophets. And as they had read many times in the Scriptures, this “something” demands a conversion, a change of life. The simple people are expectant. They go to the preacher and ask: What should we do? You are preaching conversion, but in our concrete daily lives, what should we do? Often, we experience something similar: we know, or sense, that we need to change something in our hearts. We hear the whisper of God’s voice urging us to change, to convert. We hear other Christians speak of “conversion”, especially radical conversions, and we would like to convert to Christ once and for all. In those moments, when the desire for conversion mixes with discouragement upon realizing we remain the same, let us pay attention to the advice of Saint John the Baptist.

2. The advice of John the Baptist
The words of the Baptist reflect a practical soul, close to the people, advising “in concrete”. To some tax collectors he asks for justice in their work, to some soldiers respect for the truth, to some passing by to share goods with those in need… What would he have answered a student, a businessman, or a housewife? What advice would he have given to a teacher, a parent, or a young worker? The Gospel does not specify, but it is easy to imagine: fulfill your duties as a professional, your family responsibilities, your obligations at school or university. John preached conversion, an attitude we should intensify during Advent, as we approach Christmas, and he preached it by applying it to the daily life of his listeners. Now it is up to us, aided by God’s grace, to apply that same conversion to our daily lives, according to our current situation, our work or studies, our family, and our friendships.

3. A common denominator
We have help in this task of translating conversion into our own lives: Jesus Christ, in his preaching, made clear the central point of our life. When a scribe asked him about the greatest commandments, he simply summarized: Love God and love your neighbor. And the apostle James clarified it even more: How can we say we love God, whom we do not see, if we do not love our neighbor, whom we see? The charity towards those around us is the common denominator of these attitude changes, of these conversions. Examine your life and ask Jesus Christ: You who know me intimately, do I truly love my brothers and sisters? Do I love and appreciate them as You love them, even to the point of dying on the cross for them? Or do I rather revolve everything around my egoism, my interests, my tastes, and my whims?

Purpose: To better prepare for Christmas, I will be especially charitable with the members of my family.