Stay Tuned!

First Reading:  Isaiah 61:1-2A, 10-11

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.

Responsorial Psalm:  Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54

Second Reading:  1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Brothers and sisters:

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil.

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.

Gospel: John1:6-8, 19-28

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?”

He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent.  They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Reflection
By Pietro S. Albano

Right after our training, the managers asked us to reflect on the ups and downs of the previous academic year.  One of the issues that cropped up was the difficulty of identifying the right contact person in another team in our company.  (I guess my friend Ana Balla would be aware of such concerns.)

There are instances when we would receive an abrupt e-mail from a colleague in another team: "Sorry, I am no longer doing this job" (or words to that effect).   And this would leave us scratching our heads.

On some occasions, we'll get a much better response: "Sorry, I am no longer doing this job. Please contact So-and-so for assistance".

And still in some moments, the e-mail would read: "Sorry, I am no longer doing this job, but I have forwarded your e-mail to So-and-so for assistance".

The conversation between John the Baptist and some influential people at that time, is in a way similar to what we're experiencing in the workplace.  People keep on asking John, "Who are you?", "What are you then?".  At first, John's answers were similar to that nasty e-mail response. People felt at a loss. However, as the conversation develops, his answers were slowly giving them a glimpse of who the Christ is. Indeed, if we keep on reading this Gospel, John would point everyone to Jesus (John 1:29).   So stay tuned! He is coming!

Prayer

Loving Father, keep us focused on the coming of Your Son.  May we remain attentive to John's call for repentance so as to rejoice when Jesus finally arrives. Amen.