The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present prophetic figures from Hebrew and Christian Testaments who announce messages for us from God.
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| Prophets and Presence |
The reading from the Prophet Malachi announces the Coming Messenger.
* [3:23] Elijah: taken up in a whirlwind, according to 2 Kgs 2:11. Here his return seems to be foretold. A Jewish tradition interpreted this literally; the gospels saw Elijah in the person of John the Baptist (Mt 11:13–14; 17:10–13; Mk 9:9–13).1
Psalm 25 contains expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides.
* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides.2
The Birth of John the Baptist is proclaimed in the Gospel of Luke.
* [1:57–66] The birth and circumcision of John above all emphasize John’s incorporation into the people of Israel by the sign of the covenant (Gn 17:1–12). The narrative of John’s circumcision also prepares the way for the subsequent description of the circumcision of Jesus in Lk 2:21. At the beginning of his two-volume work Luke shows those who play crucial roles in the inauguration of Christianity to be wholly a part of the people of Israel. At the end of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 21:20; 22:3; 23:6–9; 24:14–16; 26:2–8, 22–23) he will argue that Christianity is the direct descendant of Pharisaic Judaism.3
Eileen Wirth hopes that we have memories, traditions and rituals that speak to us of God’s graciousness and remind us that time with loved ones is holy.
Googling “John” revealed that in Hebrew it means “God is gracious.” In short, Elizabeth was thanking God for her incredible gift. This turns a story about naming a child into a timely opportunity to reflect on the gifts God has given each of us.4
Don Schwager quotes “The parallels between John and Jesus,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).
"The elderly Elizabeth gave birth to the last of the prophets, and Mary, a young girl, to the Lord of the angels. The daughter of Aaron gave birth to the voice in the desert (Isaiah 63:9), but the daughter of David to the strong God of the earth. The barren one gave birth to him who remits sins, but the Virgin gave birth to him who takes them away (John 1:29). Elizabeth gave birth to him who reconciled people through repentance, but Mary gave birth to him who purified the lands of uncleanness. The elder one lit a lamp in the house of Jacob, his father, for this lamp itself was John (John 5:35), while the younger one lit the Sun of Justice (Malachi 4:2) for all the nations. The angel announced to Zechariah, so that the slain one would proclaim the crucified one and that the hated one would proclaim the envied one. He who was to baptize with water would proclaim him who would baptize with fire and with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). The light, which was not obscure, would proclaim the Sun of Justice. The one filled with the Spirit would proclaim concerning him who gives the Spirit. The priest calling with the trumpet would proclaim concerning the one who is to come at the sound of the trumpet at the end. The voice would proclaim concerning the Word, and the one who saw the dove would proclaim concerning him upon whom the dove rested, like the lightning before the thunder." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON 1.31)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:57-66 comments that if we were to pay close attention to the Gospel readings between the season of Advent and the feast of the Epiphany, we might notice, especially in the readings from Luke, everyone seems to be amazed all the time!
It’s only two days before Christmas, so now may be a good time to remind yourself why everyone was so amazed. It’s because Jesus is amazing! If you’ve been following him for a while, you have probably seen him work in some amazing ways—either in your life or as he helped you reach out to someone with his love. Take some time today to think back on some of these events, and thank him for these blessings.6
Friar Jude Winkler identifies Malachi as the last prophet of the Hebrew Testament. The significant name John indicates “God is merciful”. Friar Jude reminds us of the change in Zechariah that opens his speech that had been closed by the angel.
James D. Tabor, Chair (2004-2014) of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, connects Hanukkah and Christmas; Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, as he asks about Kislev 24. Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes the official Franciscan motto is Deus Meus et Omnia—“My God and all things.” Once you recognize the Christ as the universal truth of matter and spirit working together as one, then everything is holy and nothing is excluded. Once you surrender to this Christ mystery, this divine incarnation in your oh-so-ordinary self and body, you begin to see it every other ordinary place, too. The principle is this: “Like knows like.” As theologian Saint Bonaventure (1217–1274), the philosophical interpreter of Saint Francis of Assisi , wrote: Christ is “the one whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.” [1]. The Evangelist Luke parallels the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist and we are invited to ponder Incarnation as our door to visualize the omnipresence of God.
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