December 11
Are You The One?

Readings: Isaiah 41:13-20 / Matthew 11:11-15

Reflection

John's question isn't doubt; it's honest wrestling with a Kingdom that looks nothing like what he preached. Where's the winnowing fork? Where's the fire? Where's the judgment? Instead, Jesus is eating with tax collectors, healing lepers, and the sick. This is mercy before judgment, invitation before condemnation, grace erupting everywhere. And Jesus' response is brilliant: Look at what's actually happening, John! The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead rise, the poor hear good news. This IS the Kingdom, just bigger, wilder, more beautiful than anyone imagined. "Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." Jesus knows His methods will surprise everyone, even His greatest prophet.

Then comes the stunning part: "No one born of women is greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." How? Not because we're holier, but because we're more privileged. John prepared the way; we get to walk it. John announced the Kingdom; we get to live in it. John pointed to the Messiah, we get to follow Him, know Him, receive the Spirit, receive the Eucharist, and experience resurrection life. We see what John could only glimpse from a distance. What an extraordinary gift! We're standing on the shoulders of the greatest prophet, experiencing realities he died proclaiming but never fully saw.

Isaiah promised God would transform deserts into gardens, filling wastelands with cedar and cypress, turning barrenness into abundance. That's exactly what's happening, but rarely the way we expect. The Kingdom comes through healing hands, not clenched fists. Through open tables, not closed doors. Through a cross, not a conquest. And here's the challenge: will we take offense because Jesus doesn't match our expectations, or will we see with wonder what He's actually doing? Will we insist on our version of the Kingdom, or embrace His?

Franciscan Reflection

Francis expected to be a knight, winning earthly glory. God gave him churches to rebuild and lepers to serve. Francis could have said, "This isn't what I signed up for." Instead, he said yes to the Kingdom Jesus was offering, and discovered something far more glorious than anything he'd imagined. The kingdom of earthly honor would have left him empty. The Kingdom of God made him one of history's most joyful saints. What expectations is God reshaping in your life? Where is He inviting you to release your vision and embrace His? The Kingdom rarely looks like we expect, but it's always more than we imagined.

For Your Reflection

Take your time with these questions. See which ones resonate with you.

About Honest Questions:

  • When have you asked God, "Are you really the One?" What prompted that question?
  • What disappointment with God have you been afraid to voice, even in prayer?
  • Can you trust that Jesus welcomes your honest questions just as He welcomed John's?

About Kingdom Expectations:

  • Where is Jesus working differently than you expected? Can you see His goodness in that?
  • What version of the Kingdom are you clinging to that God might be inviting you to expand?
  • Are you able to celebrate what Jesus IS doing, even while you wait for other things?

About Taking Offense:

  • Where might you be taking offense at Jesus' mercy because it doesn't match your idea of justice?
  • What healing or restoration have you missed because it didn't come the way you expected?
  • Who has God blessed that you can genuinely celebrate, even if it surprises you?

About Your Privilege:

  • Do you recognize the extraordinary privilege of living in Kingdom reality?
  • What does it mean that you're "greater than John", not in holiness, but in what you've been given?
  • How can you live more fully in the Kingdom you've received rather than always longing for what's next?

Praying the Luminous Mysteries

As you pray the rosary today, see Jesus revealing what John announced:

The Baptism in the Jordan - John baptizes Jesus. The Kingdom breaks in. The heavens open. Nothing will ever be the same.

The Wedding at Cana - Jesus' first sign. The Kingdom brings abundance, joy, and transformation. Water becomes wine.

The Proclamation of the Kingdom - "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." It's here. Now. Not someday. Today.

The Transfiguration - Peter, James, and John see Jesus' glory. They glimpse what the least in the Kingdom gets to experience.

The Institution of the Eucharist - "This is my body." The Kingdom isn't just announced; it's entered. It's received. At Mass, we are closest to our Lord.

The Luminous Mysteries show us what John prepared but couldn't fully see: Jesus not just announcing the Kingdom but embodying it, bringing it into flesh and blood, bread and wine, real human life.

A Quiet Challenge

What expectations is God reshaping in your life? Where is He inviting you to release your vision so you can embrace His?

This week, pray this every morning: "Lord, not my version of Your will, but Your actual will. Not my picture of the Kingdom, but the Kingdom You're building. Open my eyes to what You're really doing and give me joy in Your perfect plan."

Then watch. Look for where Jesus is working. Notice the blind seeing, the lame walking, the dead rising, the poor hearing good news. Let Him expand your expectations. Let Him surprise you with His goodness. Let Him be bigger than your boxes and better than your plans.

Closing

Pray this with humble gratitude:

"Lord Jesus, I come before You with wonder and thanksgiving. You are the Savior we truly need. Thank You for working in ways that surpass my understanding. Thank You for bringing Your Kingdom through mercy and healing, through invitation and grace. Forgive me when I've been slow to recognize Your hand at work because it didn't match my plans. Open my eyes to see Your goodness in unexpected places and through unexpected people. Help me trust Your methods, even when they surprise me. Give me John's faithfulness in preparation and the joy of those who get to walk the road he paved. I surrender my disappointments and embrace Your perfect will. May I never take offense at Your mercy but instead rejoice in every manifestation of Your love. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Then ask:

  • Where am I questioning Jesus' methods instead of trusting His wisdom?
  • What disappointment do I need to bring honestly to Him in prayer?
  • Am I grateful for the life I've been given, or always wishing for something different?

Don't waste this gift of life you have been given. Don't miss the Kingdom God has prepared for you, because you're waiting for a different kingdom. Jesus is exactly who He says He is. And He's exactly the one to follow and love above all else in your life.

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
December 11, 2025
A Franciscan Reflection


©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS

Location: Tonawanda, NY 14150, USA

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