Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2025

In seminary, while studying to be a priest, we’re supposed to take 20 masters level courses over four years, and two of the courses are Church History: The first covers from the year 33 to about the year 1500. And the second history course goes from about the year 1500 to today.

And, the students in these Church history classes were not just men studying to be priests, but future permanent deacons, their wives, other laypersons, and also persons who were Christian, but not Catholic.

And, as I’m sitting in these classes, learning about the history of the Catholic Church, I’m wondering what the Protestant students are thinking and how they can honestly remain Protestant after hearing everything they just heard. 

…Protestantism and Evangelicalism, also known as non-denominationalism, didn’t exist until after Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. So, I was really confused how someone could remain Protestant after learning that the Catholic Church was present from the very beginning.

And, that’s literally what I continued to be confused about until more recently. I was listening to a YouTuber who goes by the name “Redeemed Zoomer.” I know you’ve heard of “boomers.” Well he’s a "zoomer” from generation Z. And he very succinctly explains why he’s Protestant and not Catholic, Orthodox, or Evangelical. And it was eye-opening to me; he actually helped me understand why Protestants can sit through Church History courses at a Catholic seminary and still choose to remain Protestant. 

He explained it this way: The Church of Christ has always been reforming, pointing out that we see even Judaism being reformed in the Old Testament. And, he argues, therefore, so can the Church of Christ be reformed, and, therefore, Protestantism is simply a reformed version of the Church of Christ, and that Catholicism had to be reformed and the true Church continues in Protestantism.

…Just to be clear: Reform of the Church is not the same as breaking from the Church. Throughout history, the Church has always needed reform but authentic reform never abandons what Jesus Himself established. When Judaism reformed, it remained Judaism. When the Church reformed herself, she did so from within: Saint Francis with the Franciscans, Saint Dominic with the Dominicans, Saint Ignatius with the Jesuits, Saint Teresa with the Carmelites, St. Catherine of Sienna with her writings: All reformed the Church without leaving it.

And, although I don’t agree with Redeemed Zoomer’s arguments, he’s helped me understand and have a renewed respect for Protestants and Evangelicals.

Which brings me to my point: Asking questions and seeking the truth is something we should all be doing. My doing so has only strengthened my faith in Jesus and convictions that the Church of Christ and the Catholic Church are one and the same. And many other non-Catholics have done the same and entered or returned to the Catholic Church by doing so. But it takes a level of tolerating uncomfortableness in order to get to the truth.

And, in today’s gospel, we learn how John the Baptist was also seeking the truth while tolerating being very uncomfortable: Not only did he have to risk the fact that he might learn that he was wrong about the Messiah, but he was doing this from the very uncomfortable place of prison.

Last week, we just heard John the Baptist say that the Messiah was going to be this judge, bringing fire, and separating the faithful from the unfaithful, the wheat from the chaff, and he’s likely hearing that Jesus is being talked about as the Messiah. But, to John, Jesus doesn’t seem anything like what he thought the messiah would be: Jesus, while he corrected sinners, he was still really nice to them; He was healing them and even defending them from being stoned to death. How could this be the Messiah that he foretold?

And, so, from prison, John the Baptist, sincerely desiring to know the truth even if he's proven wrong, takes the risk of sending his followers to Jesus to ask him a very honest question: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"

And, Jesus, continuing to be this very gentle, loving person responds, not by rebuking John for being slow to believe or even asking, but responds with information to lead John to the truth.

…To be clear, John was not wrong about the Messiah; and he was not wrong to ask Jesus for clarification, because, in fact, what John was preaching is exactly what Jesus will be doing at the end of time: Judging and separating. But, not yet. For then and now, Jesus continues to be the merciful Savior.

Jesus wants to draw us in, not with harsh words, but with his gentleness, kindness, compassion, and mercy. He knows the farther someone is from Him, the gentler and kinder someone needs to be to give them a chance at even considering to come to Him. 

Like John the Baptist sincerely asked Jesus, “Are you the Messiah,” we should not be afraid to ask questions that we sincerely have in our hearts. Maybe we misunderstand something that the Church teaches. Maybe we disagree with something that the Church teaches. And, we can continue in our disagreement with a lack of understanding, or we can seek to understand better why the Church teaches what it does. 

The truth isn’t going to change. It’s we who must discover it, and we do that from seeking understanding so that we can accept the truth and appreciate how beautiful and good it is.