
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 1:57-66, 80
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. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
REFLECTIONS: “What, then, will this child be?”
In anticipation of a child's birth, there are so many expectations, joys, worries, hopes and preparations for all to go well. We marvel that this precious life has come into the world. Every child is God's gift. We ask, “What, then, will this child be?”
In today's first reading, we see Isaiah in one of the four "Servant Songs" as a foreshadow of Jesus. "The Lord formed me as his servant from the womb."
In the second reading, Paul said "God raised up David as king".
In the gospel, the birth of John the Baptist is met with rejoicing. Everyone knew this was God's mercy. But this was not just answerig an old couple's prayers, but it was a history changing event. God had chosen John from birth and given him a special name for a special mission. John means "God is gracious". John, the servant of God, was to bring the people of Israel back to God.
God created you, knows you and has called you to fulfill a mission. We are to be examples of God's love, and we are to prepare many to know God by way of what He has done for us.
So one day when we wonder if our work has made any difference in the lives of people, hopefully we can say, " We have done what we came to do."
God Bless You.
Commentaires