Embrace Who You Are!

3rd Sunday of Advent
14 December 2008


Come, let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.


First reading Isaiah 61:1-2,10-11
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring good news to the poor,
to bind up hearts that are broken;

to proclaim liberty to captives,
freedom to those in prison;
to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord.

‘I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul rejoices in my God,
for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bridegroom wearing his wreath,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.

‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow,
as a garden makes seeds spring up,
so will the Lord make both integrity and praise
spring up in the sight of the nations.’


Psalm or canticle Luke 1:46-50,53-54
Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.

Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy.’

Second reading 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.

Never try to suppress the Spirit or treat the gift of prophecy with contempt; think before you do anything – hold on to what is good and avoid every form of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he will not fail you.

Gospel John 1:6-8,19-28
A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak for the light,
so that everyone might believe through him.
He was not the light,
only a witness to speak for the light.

This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied:
a voice that cries in the wilderness:
Make a straight way for the Lord.’

Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, ‘I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.


Reflection
By Grace Madrinan

I just attended a two-day Kerygma conference two weekends ago, and all I can say is “WOW!!!” It was as though a massive voltage of the Holy Spirit has struck me. I felt my soul rejoicing and it comes from knowing who I am – a child of God!

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist knew who he was. He could have easily claimed that he is a Prophet or even the Messiah, when asked by the priests. Yet, clothed in humility, he stuck to his role as a messenger of God, to testify among humanity that a man much greater than him will come to the world. He knew how greater glory it was to serve Him, to pave the way for the Son of Man.

Likewise, we should embrace who we are. We are God’s own children! If we live up to this 'birth right' which we received in baptism, we will find ourselves rejoicing for the wonderful deeds that God has done for us. We will heed His call for our lives. Soon enough, we will exclaim just as Isaiah did in the First Reading, “I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul!”





Father, You are our God, and we are Yours. May we heartily embrace our birth right as Your children who abide by Your will. Amen.