(Optional Memorial for Saint John of Kenty, Priest)
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| “The Birth of St John the Baptist” by Luca Signorelli, 1485-90 |
Readings for December 23[1][2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
Lo,
I am sending my messenger
to
prepare the way before me;
And
suddenly there will come to the temple
the
LORD whom you seek,
And
the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes,
he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But
who will endure the day of his coming?
And
who can stand when he appears?
For
he is like the refiner’s fire,
or
like the fuller’s lye.
He
will sit refining and purifying silver,
and
he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining
them like gold or like silver
that
they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then
the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will
please the LORD,
as
in the days of old, as in years gone by.
Lo,
I will send you
Elijah,
the prophet,
Before
the day of the LORD comes,
the
great and terrible day,
To
turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and
the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest
I come and strike
the
land with doom.
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Commentary on
1 Mal 3:1-4, 23-24
“My messenger . . . before me”: in Malachi 3:23 this messenger is called Elijah. In Matthew 11:10 these words are quoted by Christ as
referring to John the Baptizer, who prepared the way for the coming of the
Savior;”[4] We believe this prediction from Malachi sees
its fulfillment with the coming of St. John the Baptist and the eminent arrival
of the Messiah. This prophecy was widely known and understood by the Jews at
the time of Christ. The prediction of
the return of Elijah was seen as one of the major prophetic signs and the
Gospel description of St. John the Baptist closely paralleled the descriptions
given in scripture (see 2 Kings 1:8 and notes on Luke 3:15ff; Matthew 3:4; and John 1:6ff).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
R. (see Luke 21:28) Lift up your heads and see; your redemption
is near at hand.
Your
ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach
me your paths,
Guide
me in your truth and teach me,
for
you are God my savior.
R. Lift up your heads and
see; your redemption is near at hand.
Good
and upright is the LORD;
thus
he shows sinners the way.
He
guides the humble to justice,
he
teaches the humble his way.
R. Lift up your heads and
see; your redemption is near at hand.
All
the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward
those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The
friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and
his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Lift up your heads and
see; your redemption is near at hand.
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Commentary on
Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The
sinful psalmist prays that “Your ways” be made known. The request directs us to
repentance and ultimately justice. The theme of guidance is continued in the
psalm. This selection gives a clear sense of the Lord’s path announced by
angelic messengers, prophets and the very Law of Moses; the culmination and
completion of God’s covenants. This selection gives a clear sense of the Lord’s
path announced by John the Baptist and Malachi.
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Gospel: 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.”
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Commentary on
Lk 1:57-66
Following Mary’s Magnificat, Luke now tells the story of John the
Baptist’s birth, circumcision and naming.
The silence imposed on Zachariah by God (Luke 1:20) is broken as he confers that name
upon his son. Even the naming of St. John is unusual. It would have been the custom of the time to
name the child after the father and for the child’s father to make that
announcement as part of the ritual surrounding his circumcision. Zechariah complies with
the demands of the Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:13) and names him “John. The question is asked by those who are at
hand; “"What, then, will this child
be? For surely the hand of the Lord
was with him.’”
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Reflection:
Our
Advent journey is almost over; the long wait for the great blessing of the
Feast of the Nativity has drawn to an end.
The spiritual journey has been as intense as our physical preparations
for the great holiday. The Lord’s Nativity is preceded in by the birth of St.
John the Baptist who also precedes him in death. Although we celebrate a special feast to
remember this event on June 24th each year, today we recall
this occasion for a different reason. It
is in conjunction with the Lord’s birth that we remember the blessing of the
new life of St. John the Baptist whose birth was in fulfillment of ancient
prophecy as well.
We
see in this part of the story yet another miraculous sign of things to
come. Zechariah, the father of St. John
the Baptist (“the Voice”), has been mute since that day almost a year earlier
when he demonstrated his unbelief in God’s plan and power. Now he is released
from his affliction when he does as the Lord commanded by naming his child
John. This is especially surprising for
the friends who had gathered, since it was a long standing tradition to name
the first son after the father (hence their statement in the Gospel “they were going to call him Zechariah after
his father”). We see their surprise,
not only did the family break with tradition, but immediately upon doing so,
the punishment applied to Zechariah was lifted.
Something
new was coming. Zechariah, priest of the
temple, had named his child with a name not of their family. Elizabeth had borne a child in her old age
after being infertile her whole life. It
is no wonder they asked “What, then, will
this child be?” He was set on a
different path and “The hand of God was
upon him.”
Our
wait is almost over. We see in the birth
of St. John the Baptist, the “Voice”
the eminent arrival of the one he is to herald.
It is one more proof of the identity of the Christ child we welcome in
less than two days. Be at peace now, as
the candles remind us, the Lord of Light is at hand, his reign will soon be
established once more and our journey starts a new circle of faith, dying and
rising once more.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture is
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication
is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB footnote on Malachi 3:23
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