3rd Sunday of Advent: December 13/14, 2025

For generations, the people of Israel were waiting for a Messiah, someone to turn the world inside out and upside down. Then along came Jesus.  Was he the one?  John the Baptist certainly wanted to know, and so he sent his disciples to simply ask Jesus: 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?' Jesus responds in a way that says the proof is in the pudding. Look what I have done; the blind whom I touch see, the lame walk.  Lepers are cured.  The deaf can now hear.  Even the dead are raised.  And the poor?  They have the good news preached to them. . .

Yes, it appears that Jesus is the one, so we don't have to look for another. . .

What we do need to do, though, if we do believe that Jesus is the one, is to carry on Jesus' ministry of having an impact on other people's lives; we are now called to turn the world.  But how is that possible, how can any one of us make a difference? 

SO IT'S TIME FOR A STORY.  Hopefully, you noticed that Patrick and Patricia are out -- and that always means a story.  This one is called:  A work in progress:  How to change the World.  No author was identified; it was simply posted on a website called Soul Pancake. There are lots of ideas about how to change the world.  Some people think you should just complain about the things that need to be changed, as if that would actually change anything.  It usually just makes people miserable who have to listen to the one who is complaining.  Some people think you can change the world if you have lots of money,  just shower it down like rain on the problems you want to solve, which might make some things better, maybe ease some pain, but not really solving the problem at all.

Some people think you just need to be really loud and just yell a lot. Like with a bullhorn shouting, hey you,  if you just did things my way, the world would be a much better place!  Other people choose just to make fun of everyone and everything they don't like about the world. It's really easy to make fun of stuff, but it is more important to make things happen. 

Some people think changing the world can only be done by the smartest people, or you have to be an important person or a person with lots of power and authority. . .  But the truth is, brains, or a title, or power doesn't necessarily make you better at changing the world, because the world is changed by ordinary people like you and me.

To change the world, it just takes one person filled with love.  And then they share that love with someone else, and then that person gets filled with love, and they share that love with someone else. And then it just goes on and on. And the next thing you know, everyone is filled with love and the world becomes an awesome place!

Some people will say this is impossible; they just want to stand on the sidelines and say it can't be done, so why even try? Well, you can see why they would think that.  Living in a world where kids are hungry.  People are homeless.  Families are unhappy. . .  But you should know, the next time you feel like this, overwhelmed or totally incapable, just remember things don't have to be the way they are, the world is changed by ordinary people. Little people living out BIG love.

So how does one person change the world?  Just touch someone else with your love, make their life more awesome.  Now is the time to do it, not tomorrow or next week.  NOW.

Our goal should be to show the world what awesome looks like!  The world is changed one person at a time.  Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."  Meaning that personal transformation, metanoia, as Deacon Larry spoke about last week, is the key to improving the world.  It's about knowing what your values are and then living out those values, creating ripples of positive change to bring about awesomeness!

Often in life, we encounter things that we would like to be different; it could be your job, your health, your finances, your family, your relationships, your parish, the list could go on.  If you are expecting those things to somehow automatically change for the better, you could be waiting for a long time.  But you have the power to choose actions that will change your situation.  You have the power to make a change and make your life more awesome.  Don't wait for someone else to do it for you.  Either do it, or stop complaining, which just makes everyone else miserable. 

Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near, for the world is about to turn!

One person at a time. . .