The Gospel according to Luke (1:57-66)
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”
Reflection:
These last days heading into Christmas deviate from the usual schedule of Advent. From December
17 through Christmas Eve, they have a different focus. Today, Tuesday in the 4th Week of Advent, and December 23 this year, focuses on the birth of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. These last few days at daily Mass, we’ve heard about the annunciation to Zechariah (and what happened after), and the visit of Mary to her elderly cousin, and John’s reaction to his cousin in the womb of his mother.
Today, we have the last part of that story – John’s birth. He was called to be the herald of the Messiah who had been promised for centuries, and even at his birth, it was clear that he was destined for a path that no prophet before had walked. The photo with this reflection is one that I took at the Church of St John the Baptist in Ein Karem, in the little town in the “hill country of Judah”, just outside Jerusalem. I captured this image on the pilgrimage that Linda and I were blessed to join nearly four years ago now, at the site of the birth of St John the Baptist. Even now, the memory of being there reminds me of how striking it must have been to those who saw the scene we hear in today’s Gospel.
My friends, the Irish Jesuits, as they have often done these last five years of writing reflections on the DEACON5, pointed out a great thought to ponder today, as we are just two days now from Christmas: why not consider that same question for our life ahead of us? “What, then, will WE be? The hand of the Lord is with US, too.” Now if you’re like me, you may be thinking, “I’m an adult, I’m not a child with my whole life ahead of me. What could God possibly think He could do with ME?”
I would answer that with two responses: first, remember, you’re talking about the omnipotent Creator here – He can do literally anything. And second, however much of earthly life remains for each of us, we can certainly cooperate with that all-powerful God in some way. If you think (like I do) that God could certainly work with better source material than me, then you have exactly the right attitude. That way, when you do something for God that is amazing, you and everyone will know it did not come from you. (I’m very heartened by that thought).
What better Christmas present can you give back to God, than to allow yourself, however imperfect you are, to be His instrument? I can’t think of one and I believe that God smiles at every attempt we make to accomplish His will. I think that is one of the reasons that He sent Jesus to us – that blessed event we will recall this week.
Action for the Day:
Take a break from the bustle of preparing for the holidays and in a quiet moment, ask God how He can use YOU to help bring His kingdom closer to His children. Then, be ready to act and know that God will bless your YES, just as He did the YES of both St Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary for the celebration we will recall this Christmas.
Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/
If you would like to hear this reflection, click the link below!
