(Optional Memorial for Saint John of Kenty, Priest)
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| “The Birth of St John the Baptist” by Luca Signorelli, 1485-90 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1 Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
Lo, I will send you
Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with doom.
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Commentary on 1 Mal 3:1-4, 23-24
“My messenger . . . before me”: in Malachi 3:23 this messenger is called Elijah. In Matthew 11:10 these words are quoted by Christ as referring to John the Baptizer, who prepared the way for the coming of the Savior.”[4] We believe this prediction from Malachi is fulfilled with the birth of St. John the Baptist. The prophecy of Malachi was widely known and understood by the Jews at the time of Christ. The prediction of the return of Elijah was seen as one of the major prophetic signs, and the Gospel description of St. John the Baptist closely paralleled the descriptions given in scripture (see 2 Kings 1:8 and notes on Luke 3:15ff; Matthew 3:4; and John 1:6ff).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
R. (see Luke 21:28) Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
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Commentary on Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The sinful psalmist prays that “Your ways” (God's ways) be made known. The request directs us to repentance and ultimately justice. The theme of guidance is continued in the psalm. This selection gives a clear sense of the Lord’s path, announced by angelic messengers, prophets, and the very Law of Moses. It is the culmination and completion of God’s covenants. These verses are echoed later by Malachi (Malachi 3:1-4) and John the Baptist (Luke 3:1 ff), also announcing the Lord's path.
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Gospel Luke 1:57-66
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”
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Commentary on Lk 1:57-66
Following Mary’s Magnificat, Luke now tells the story of John the Baptist’s birth, circumcision, and naming. The silence imposed on Zechariah by God (Luke 1:20) is broken as he confers the name John upon his son. Even the naming of St. John is unusual. It would have been the custom of the time to name the child after the father and for the child’s father to make that announcement as part of the ritual surrounding his circumcision. Zechariah complies with the demands of the Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:13) and names him John. The question is asked by those who are at hand: “"What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.’”
CCC: Lk 1:68 422, 717
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Reflection:
Our Advent journey is almost over; the long wait for the great blessing of the Feast of the Nativity has drawn to an end. The spiritual journey has been as intense as our physical preparations for the great holiday. The Lord’s Nativity is preceded by the birth of St. John the Baptist who also precedes him in death. Although we celebrate a special feast to remember this event on June 24th each year, today we recall this occasion for a different reason. It is in conjunction with the Lord’s birth that we remember the blessing of the new life of St. John the Baptist, whose birth was in fulfillment of ancient prophecy as well.
We see in this part of the story yet another miraculous sign of things to come. Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist (the “Voice”), has been mute since that day almost a year earlier when he demonstrated his unbelief in God’s plan and power (see Luke 1:5-25). Now he is released from his affliction when he does as the Lord commanded by naming his child John. This is especially surprising for the friends who had gathered, since it was a longstanding tradition to name the first son after the father (hence their statement in the Gospel “they were going to call him Zechariah after his father”). We see their surprise. Not only did the family break with tradition, but immediately upon doing so, the punishment applied to Zechariah was lifted.
Something new was coming. Zechariah, priest of the temple, had named his child with a name not of their family. Elizabeth had borne a child in her old age after being infertile her whole life. It is no wonder they asked: “What, then, will this child be?” He was set on a different path and “the hand of God was upon him.”
Our wait is almost over. We see in the birth of St. John the Baptist, the “Voice,” the imminent arrival of the one he is to herald. It is one more proof of the identity of the Christ child we welcome in less than two days. Be at peace now; as the candles remind us, the Lord of Light is at hand. His reign will soon be established once more and our journey starts a new circle of faith, dying and rising once more.
Pax
O Antiphon for this date:[5]
O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the
nations, Savior of all people: Come and set us
free, Lord our God.
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster,
expectratio gentium, et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos,
Domines, Deus noster.
[1] The picture is “The Birth of St John the Baptist” by Luca Signorelli, 1485-90
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] See NAB footnote on Malachi 3:23
[5] The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. (USCCB)
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