Gospel: Luke 1:57-66
When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the merciful Lord had done a wonderful thing for her, and they rejoiced with her.
When, on the eighth day, they came to attend the circumcision of the child, they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.” They said to her, “But no one in your family has that name!” and they made signs to his father for the name he wanted to give him. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet, and wrote on it, “His name could speak again, and his first words were in praise of God.
A holy fear came on all in the neighborhood, and throughout the hill country of Judea the people talked about these events. All who heard of it, pondered in their minds, and wondered, “What will this child be?” For they understood that the hand of the Lord was with him.

Reflections
“What will this child be?”
The Vatican Council II has emboldened the reality that all the baptized are missionaries and that the Church, by its very nature is missionary. We hear this often and much in theo­logy classes and even in basic catechesis. We are being sent by God to proclaim his love to all the corners of the world. We are being challenged to be “salt of the earth and the light of the world”.
The first reading today from the book of the prophet Mala­chi relays that God would send Elijah, a messenger, “to turn the hearts of the fathers to their chil­dren and the hearts of children to their father”. The Gospel ac­ counts the naming of John, the messenger who came before Jesus. To the people who took the unfolding of things in their heart, John was referred to the gospel as “the hand of God was with him”
The Lord’s coming inspires us too to look for signs and won­ders so that we may be led to God’s loving plan.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019