The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, December 21, 2005
St. Peter Canisius, priest and doctor of the Church

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Song of Songs 2:8-14
Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
Luke 1:39-45

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Today's Gospel reading is full of joy, revelation and blessings. From it we get part of one of most beloved prayers, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb." We could study and meditate on this reading for some time and continue to glean great things from it.

There is one section of today's Gospel, however, that begs a closer look:

“And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy." (Luke 1:42-44)

It is here that John the Baptist, although unborn and in his mother's womb, begins to point the way to the coming of the Lord. This is a message that John continues through his entire life. At their first "meeting," both yet to be born, John leaps for joy. Many years later, John begins his ministry using the words of the prophet, "'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,'" and later he proclaims, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals." When imprisoned for doing right, he sends his followers to Jesus to see the truth themselves. The fact is that John's entire life was spent pointing to the coming of the Lord.

Our Advent season is nearing its end as we approach the coming of the Lord. Are we following John's example and pointing the way to the Lord? Do we leap for joy when we encounter him? Do we point others to the straight path? Do we continue to proclaim His coming even when we are imprisoned or kept from doing so? Do we tell of His coming when we are punished for doing right?

As Advent closes, reflect on this and ask yourself these questions and seek the Lord's guidance and strength in proclaiming His coming.

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)

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