The most important thing is the naming of the child. This was a serious matter in ancient times.

For a name carries with it the destiny of the bearer.

The baby could not be named frivolously. And so, after much debate, they named him John.

With Mary’s “fiat” and the call to repentance to prepare the way of the Lord by the precursor John,

and ultimately the birth of Jesus, the king of all Nations.

O come, O come Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel !

 

St. John of Kanty, priest

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24

Now I am sending

My messenger ahead of me, to clear the way; then, suddenly, the Lord,

for whom you long, will enter the Sanctuary. The envoy of the Covenant which you so greatly desire,

already comes, says Yahweh of hosts. Who can bear the day of his coming and remain standing when he appears?

For he will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.

 

He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them, like gold and silver.

So Yahweh will have priests who will present the offering as it should be.

Then Yahweh will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.

 

I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the day of Yahweh comes,

for it will be a great and terrible day. He will reconcile parents with their children, and the children with their parents,

so that I may not have to curse this land when I come."

 

Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 & 14 Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.

 

＊＊＊ 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 is John;" and they were very surprised. Immediately, Zechariah 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.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"God’s promise is fulfilled."

To show kindness to other people may be easier to do when things around us appear to be favorable.

For example, with answered prayers, we can be kinder to others. However,

at times when we feel that our prayers remain unanswered, and our hope is waning,

we may care less, and be unkind to people around us. Today, we are summoned not only to be kind but also to be gracious.

 

The Gospel narrates the birth and the naming of John the Baptist.

Both Elizabeth and Zechariah  wanted their son to be named John.

Zechariah even wrote on a tablet "John is his name."

We ponder not only on the name of John but also on the names of his parents.

 

The name John means "the Lord is gracious."

The name Zechariah means "the Lord has remembered" while the name Elizabeth means "the promise of my God."

Thus, Zechariah's family bore witness to a basic truth that the Lord, in his time,

will certainly fulfill his promise. Graciousness means

that we humbly accept the fact that God's promise is fulfilled not in our time but in his time.