Who are you? This question, addressed to John the Baptist in today’s Gospel reading, is a question all of us need to answer. It is a question posed to us individually, but also a question addressed to us as a community. When asked, “Who are you?”, our usual response is to offer our name: “I am …”  But today’s question to John the Baptist and us is asking for more. It is asking for the essence of who we are. It asks to reveal the foundation of our identity. It can be an uncomfortable question.

This Third Sunday of Advent we are being reminded that the first and best answer is “I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.” But how many of us willingly and unabashedly identify ourselves with Jesus Christ. John the Baptist had a clear sense of who he was. His sense of self was rooted in his belief that his identity was bound intimately with who God is, and John saw everything he did as somehow being an outward expression of his faith. John announced his faith openly so much so that many labeled him as crazy; but comfort with his self-identity was the source of John’s inner courage. Many were brought to a new understanding of their faith because of his clearly defined sense of self.

Our season of Advent forces us to ask, “Who am I?” It makes us ask whether or not our sense of identity is in any way bound to our understanding of ourselves as Christian or as Catholic. Is it clear to those around us by our words and actions that we know who we are? Is it clear that we believe that Jesus is our Lord?

Living our faith openly is not hard, especially if we have the joy felt by Isaiah in today’s first reading. A people lost in exile through their own fault were not given up as lost by the God they abandoned. To the contrary, God stuck around. The God of the Israelites is our God: He is faithful to us despite our sinfulness and lack of faith. He is the God who wants not one hair of our head to be harmed or one sheep of His flock to be lost.

When the Israelites found themselves home after exile and realized that the God in whom they were disappointed was the same God of their redemption and delivery, they were filled with awe and joy. The prophet was able to profess “the spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me.” This joy is the result of understanding who God is and who we are.

How many of us have with confidence and joy talked about our faith with another person? Have many of us brought up the topic of Jesus Christ with friends and co-workers, or is something in the way of this? We can get caught up in disillusionment, disappointment and fear and fail to experience the joy that is the gift of faith. Many Catholics say that they don’t usually male the Sign of the Cross in restaurants because they are afraid of the attention it may bring. The antidote one priest gives for the fear of making the Sign of the Cross in public is the occasional result. Any number of people seeing it mention that they too are Catholic. (This is a big boost for Identity!) He also says that sometimes, when he is casually dressed, someone will ask if he knows a Catholic priest they could speak to about coming back to church. (This brings joy!)

Who are you? Can we answer honestly that we are Christian; we are Catholic? If that is hard, do not despair, for the gift of Advent is that it helps us remember who we are. During this holy season of Advent may we make sure our words and actions match up with what we profess to believe!