God is working in our midst.

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary may alert us to the attitude which is present in the faith of those who believe that God works among us. The prophesy from the Book of Malachi that a messenger will come from God prior to the coming of the Lord suggests to both Christians and Jews that agents of the Divine are called to appear among the people to bring them together to be prepared to experience the Love and action of God in their lives.Friar Jude Winkler and authors of rabbinical literature comment that the” translation” of Elijah into heaven may support the belief that he will be the herald of the Messiah. Through exhortation for people to accept the mercy of God, the returning Elijah will draw people together and heal divisions as presented in the Book of Malachi. The Gospel of Luke, which was written by a Gentile for a Gentile audience, describes the circumcision of John, the miraculous late life child of Zachariah and Elizabeth. This pregnancy and the link between it and the experience of Zachariah in the Temple which left him mute (and maybe deaf) made the community aware that something related to Divine action may be happening in their midst. Some Jewish literature suggests that one to announce the coming of the Lord exists in every generation so that if the conditions for the return of the Lord are satisfied, the people can be prepared and gathered. The name of the one who will call people to repent and baptize them in the Jordan is spoken by Zachariah as given him by the angel Gabriel to be John. Friar Jude reminds us that this name is symbolic for “God is merciful”. The attitude of those who experience the movement of God in their lives is wonder and praise as expressed in the Benedictus of Zachariah (Luke 1:68-79) and also the fear and anticipation noted by Luke in the people of the hill country.