The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the ”name” that indicates our mission as followers of Christ.
Mission of Grace
The reading from the Prophet Isaiah outlines the Servant’s Mission.
* [49:6] The servant’s vocation extends beyond the restoration of Israel in order to bring the knowledge of Israel’s God to the rest of the earth; cf. Lk 2:32.1
Psalm 139 praises the Inescapable God.
* [Psalm 139] A hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze (Ps 139:1–6), of God’s presence in every part of the universe (Ps 139:7–12), and of God’s control over the psalmist’s very self (Ps 139:13–16). Summing up Ps 139:1–16, 17–18 express wonder.2
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is part of Paul’s address in the synagogue sharing that God has brought to Israel a Saviour.
* [13:16–41] This is the first of several speeches of Paul to Jews proclaiming that the Christian church is the logical development of Pharisaic Judaism (see also Acts 24:10–21; 26:2–23).3
The Gospel of Luke tells of the birth of John the Baptist.
* [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.4
Luis Rodriguez, S.J. comments that all too often, instead of owning who we are, we succumb to the temptation of pretending to be who we are not. We wear appearances, in order to impress people and mislead them into thinking that we are what we are not, perhaps because we do not think that they can be impressed by what we really are.
John had a golden opportunity to pretend to be who he knew he was not. The possibility of such pretension was offered to him on a platter, but he did not take the bait. He knew well who he was - only a voice - and he knew equally well who he was not. We need to pray for a wholesome self-awareness, knowing who we are and who we are not and owning both.5
Don Schwager quotes “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)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:57-66, 80 comments that John kept saying no to his own will and yes to God’s will because he knew that God had given him a specific mission. He knew that God would give him the grace he needed to live out that mission.That’s what fueled John’s yes each time.
It’s what can fuel our yes to God too. Each one of us is called to play a part in building God’s kingdom. Every time you follow John’s example and say no to your own preferences, you are saying yes to something better from God. Every time you listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, you are fulfilling your call. Your little acts of surrender, your seemingly insignificant yeses to God along the way help bring about God’s will in your life and in the people around you. Taken together, they steer you toward a bigger yes as you begin to understand and pursue the mission he has for your life.7
Friar Jude Winkler connects the Suffering Servant to Jesus and the unworthiness of John the Baptist to “marry” the widow Israel. The kerygma proclaimed by Paul declares that God chose John the Baptist to announce the Saviour to Israel. Friar Jude notes the similarities of John’s practice to the Essenes of Qumran.
James Finley shows us how reading the words of the mystics can be a form of contemplative spiritual direction. They serve as a mirror, revealing to us their own humanity and the Presence of the Holy Spirit that is ever present to us, just as it was to them.
The mystics are assuming several things, that first of all, there’s the dignity, and the reality, and the complexities of the human experience. . . . They’re always assuming that these are real life people living a real life. So, in that sense, it’s a deep respect for the dignity and gift of the human experience. Secondly, they assume that it’s the human experience illumined by faith, and specifically as revealed in Christ and all of the Scriptures, that we’re living our life in a relationship with God, and that God’s in a relationship with us, and God’s in this related state of oneness with us. And God’s oneness with us is the reality of us. That is, God’s perpetually creating us breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat. . . .8
The mission for our journey is revealed as we attend to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
References
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