THE WORD AND THE FEAST
June 24, 2020: Birthday of St. John the Baptist
Jeremiah 1: 4-10; 1 Peter 1: 8-12; Luke 1: 5-17
Jeremiah 1: 4-10; 1 Peter 1: 8-12; Luke 1: 5-17
The Voice: his identity.
He stands out as a prophet, a prophet who ensures the continuity between the Old Testaments prophets and Jesus, the prophet par excellence. His identity as a voice explains also his priority to make God's Word known. The Word is announced by the Voice: the call for us... to make present to the Word in the world.
Our Reflection: Is my identity in relation to the Word, in relation to the Lord, in relation to my saviour?
Our Reflection: Is my identity in relation to the Word, in relation to the Lord, in relation to my saviour?
The Servant of God: his self-identity.
John was filled with a sense of his mission. He was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, as a precursor to run before the Lord and get the spirit of the Lord's people up and awake. He challenged people to conversion as a foretaste of the Reign of God that Jesus wanted to establish. The challenge for us, is to recognise God's will at work in our lives.
Our Reflection: Do I consider myself as an instrument at the service of the Will of God... in my family, in my work place, in my parish or wherever I am!
Our Reflection: Do I consider myself as an instrument at the service of the Will of God... in my family, in my work place, in my parish or wherever I am!
Blessed from the Womb: God's chosen one.
John becomes the most proximate witness to us for the words that Isaiah, Jeremiah and other prophets always insist upon: the Lord chooses us before we were ever formed in the womb and the Lord has a specific plan for each of us. Such a blessed one, was killed so brutally and it looked like he ended up a big failure! In God's wisdom lies our true happiness. The invitation for us, is to understand the real purpose of our lives from the perspective of God.
Our Reflection: The so called goals and ambitions, purposes and plans of my life - how seriously do they seek to know, understand and accept the plan and purposes of God?
In the identity he received from God, in his self identity and in his blessed life right from the womb of his mother, John stands a witness and a challenge to our life in God! In fact, as his name means, we are called to realise God has been gracious to us and respond to that grace, with our true childlike love and surrender.
Our Reflection: The so called goals and ambitions, purposes and plans of my life - how seriously do they seek to know, understand and accept the plan and purposes of God?
In the identity he received from God, in his self identity and in his blessed life right from the womb of his mother, John stands a witness and a challenge to our life in God! In fact, as his name means, we are called to realise God has been gracious to us and respond to that grace, with our true childlike love and surrender.