There is an old story about a sculptor who was commissioned to carve a statue of Jesus Christ. He worked for months, chiseling away at the marble with painstaking care. But as the figure began to take form, a nobleman who had funded the work came to inspect it. Seeing the bruised knees, the scarred hands, and the rough face, the nobleman frowned and complained, “You’ve made him look too human, can’t you smooth the lines, polish the hands, make him more divine?” The sculptor looked up and said quietly, “Sir, if you cannot love him the way he came, you will never find him as he is.”
My dearly beloved in Christ, the response from the sculptor, in a way, is what Jesus meant when he said in today’s Gospel passage, “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” John the Baptist had done everything right. He preached repentance in the wilderness. He pointed to the Lamb of God. He decreased so that Christ might increase. Yet here he was, imprisoned by Herod, staring at stone walls, cut off from the rest of the world, and wondering if his life’s mission had been in vain. So he sent his disciples to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
That question did not come from unbelief, but from a sense of disappointment. John had announced a Messiah who would come with fire and a winnowing fork, who would lay the axe to the root of the tree. But Jesus came healing the sick, forgiving sinners, dining with tax collectors, and calling the poor blessed. In short, Jesus did not fit John’s expectations. And that was when the scandal began.
The Greek word for “offense” here is skandalon, the same root as “scandal.” It literally means a stumbling block, something in your path that makes you trip. When Jesus said, “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me,” he meant, “Blessed is the one who does not trip over me, who does not lose faith when I don’t act the way they expected.”
If we are honest, we have all had our John the Baptist moments. We have prayed, “Lord, are you really there? If you are, why have you not answered? Why do the wicked prosper? Why do the faithful suffer?” We want a God who acts quickly, who fixes what is broken, and who vindicates the good and punishes the evil. But instead, we meet a God who heals quietly, loves patiently, and saves through suffering. And for some, that is offensive. The offense of Jesus is not in his power, but in his weakness. Not in his miracles, but in his mercy. Not in his judgment, but in his gentleness. And yet, that is precisely where his divinity shines most clearly.
In his answer to John’s disciples, Jesus does not give a “Yes” or “No.” He says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” Those words echo the prophet Isaiah, our first reading today (Isaiah 35:1–6, 10): “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped; the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy.” Jesus is saying: Look at the signs. The kingdom is already breaking in. It does not look like what you imagined. Jesus inaugurates a merciful kingdom. His power is not displayed through domination, but through compassion. He ends his answer with a beatitude, “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
Advent asks us the question: Can you wait for God without being offended by his timing, his methods, or his silence? Think of Mary. Her “yes” to God brought not instant glory, but scandal, a teenage pregnancy, gossip, flight into Egypt, and a cross at the end of the road. Think of Joseph. His obedience meant embracing confusion, protecting a child that was not his own, and living in obscurity. Neither of them took offense at God’s plan. And because of that, both are blessed beyond measure. We are also invited to that same blessing, to trust God even when his ways do not align with our expectations.
This Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday, that is, “Rejoice Sunday.” It is the Sunday of joy. But it is not the joy of everything going right. It is the joy of knowing that even when things seem wrong, God is still at work. True joy is not the absence of doubt; it is faith that survives doubt. It is not about having answers; it is about holding on to trust when answers are yet to come. So Jesus says to you and to me this Advent: “Blessed are you if you do not take offense when I come to you wrapped in weakness, hidden in waiting, disguised in disappointment.”
So, brothers and sisters, as we light the rose candle today, let it remind us that joy does not come from perfect circumstances, but from unshaken faith. The heart of Advent Joy is not pretending that everything is perfect; it is finding God in the imperfect. It is recognizing Christ even in the cracked marble of our world and saying, “I will not stumble over this.” And anyone who expresses such joy, Jesus says, is truly blessed. Indeed, blessed is the one who takes no offense at Jesus, who loves him, not as they wish he were, but as he truly is.
Homily for 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) Year A 2025
Fada,
You always have a way with words along with you ones written before you. Have a blessed week!
Thank you so much, Keith, for your support. God bless you.