Sunday reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)
December 15, 2013
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 35:1-6, 10
Psalm 146
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
"Go back and report to John what you hear and see."
St. John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah. Both of them prophets. Both were martyred. John prepared the way for Christ. And Christ prepared and continues to prepare the Way for us through the Church. After John finished his mission to baptize in the river Jordan, he now decreases in stature; and it is Christ's mission which is in the forefront - to build the Kingdom of God by healing and preaching. As Jesus enters the forefront, He commends John the Baptist for his great role in preparing the people Israel in salvation history. Two great men in their own right. They call us to follow in their footsteps. We too are called to bring others back to God by the witness of our work and life.
Christ began His mission by performing many healing miracles and by preaching the Good News to the poor. He continues the prophetic mission of John the Baptist. The baptisms performed by John and our own baptism in the name of Christ makes us share in the prophetic mission of John and Jesus. How are we to understand our prophetic vocation as Christians? A prophet is one who speaks in behalf of God to the people. He announces the Good News. And he denounces the evil of his times. nbsp;This was what John the Baptist and Christ did. We know that both their announcement of God's Kingdom and the denouncement of the evil of their times have cost them their life. We may not be called to be martyrs like John and Christ, but we have a responsibility to be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world".
How can we specifically be "salt of the earth and the light of the world"? Like John the Baptist and Christ, we can witness to what they stood for: Life in all its fullness as a right of all persons, whatever their political stature or socio-economic level. Prophetic witness can be as simple as opting to follow the stance of the Church with regard to the culture of life. This culture of life was emphasized and made clear to everyone in the world during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. By simply respecting life in all its stages (from womb to tomb), we stand with Christ and the Church in the mission to value life as sacred, a gift from God, and a responsibility to defend and protect in the very secular contexts of family life, work, and charitable works in the parish or neighborhood.
Verses from this Sunday readings:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened; be strong fear not! (Isaiah 35)
The Lord gives food to the hungry; He sets captives free (Psalm 146)
Steady your hearts because the coming of the Lord is at hand (James 5)
History has not known man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer (Matthew 11)
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