Reading 1
Mal 3:1-4, 23-24
Thus says the Lord GOD:
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.
Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Responsorial PsalmR. (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.
Gospel
Lk 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.”
Meditation: Malachi 3:1-4,23-24
“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me.” (Malachi 3:1)
Amanda was going off to college. It was her first time away from home, and she was worried. Her older brother, Jim, was married with a family of his own. But he started writing letters to Amanda every week. Those letters not only got Amanda through her homesickness but as they wrote back and forth, Jim was able to share about his own life and his faith in God. He answered her questions and sent her gospel music and devotional books. By the end of her first year of college, Amanda experienced a personal conversion and began a brand new era in her Catholic faith.
Jim’s name could just as well have been “John.” He was acting just like John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus to enter his sister’s life. In reality, each of us has had at least one John the Baptist in our lives. Surely, there was someone whose words or actions prepared the soil of our hearts or sowed the seed of the Word. Maybe it was the teacher who prepared us for our First Holy Communion, helping us understand Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist. It could have been a friend who loved us even when we felt unlovable. Maybe it was something as simple as our parents’ devotion to the rosary or faithful Mass attendance. Let’s thank the Lord for each person he put into our lives to draw us closer to him!
But even beyond this, we can look for opportunities to be like John the Baptist for others, too! It’s certain that there are people in our lives with whom we can share the gospel. Our children or grandchildren will benefit from our faithful example and loving words. Friends may be helped along their way to Jesus by our witness to gospel values. Even people we don’t know can reap the benefit of our patience or generosity!
In gratitude for those faithful people who helped us open our lives to the Lord, let’s be like John the Baptist ourselves. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us see opportunities to be a prophetic voice turning children’s hearts back to their heavenly Father!
“Lord Jesus, I want to do all I can to help people prepare the way for you in their hearts. Give me the strength to be a faithful witness to your gospel so that I can behold with joy your entrance into the lives of my loved ones!”
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