ISAIAH 54: 1 – 10

“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not had labour pains! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; hold not back, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widow hood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For the Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I for so ok you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting mercy I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. “For this is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my mercy shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 30: 2, 4, 5 – 6, 11 – 12a, 13b (R.) 2a

R/. I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up,
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, you have lifted up my soul from the grave,
restored me to life from those who sin kin to the pit. R/.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you faithful ones;
give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.
At night there are tears, but at dawn comes joy. R/.

Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;
be my helper, O LORD.
You have changed my mourning into dancing.
O Lord my God, I will thank you forever. R/.

ALLELUIA
Luke 3: 4, 6

Alleluia. Alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight; all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL
John is the messenger who prepares the way of the Lord
Luke 7: 24 – 30

When the messengers of John had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who are gorgeously apparelled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet. Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare you way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (When they heard this all the people and the tax collectors justified God, having been baptised with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptised by him.)

The Gospel of the Lord.
GOSPEL REFLECTION: Sharing in God’s Divinity
December 15, 2022

This is the one about whom Scripture says: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare your way before you. I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Luke 7:27–28)

Saint John the Baptist was truly great. He was the promised prophet foretold by Isaiah who would be the “messenger” who would precede the Christ, the Messiah. Many believe that John was sanctified within the womb when he leapt for joy when encountering the presence of Christ during the Visitation. John then faithfully fulfilled his mission of being the last of the Old Testament prophets and died prior to Jesus giving His life for the salvation of all. For these reasons, John is considered the greatest of those born of women, prior to the glorious gift of salvation in Christ.

Of course, after praising John for his greatness, Jesus then goes on to point out that even “the least in the Kingdom of God” is greater than John. This is simply because everyone who is now a member of the Kingdom of God was given a gift that John never enjoyed in this life. We are given the gift of grace so as to actually share in the divine nature. Through baptism, we become sharers in God’s very life by grace. This transformation of our very being is something that John the Baptist did not share in until after his death when Jesus opened the gateway to salvation.

Imagine being John the Baptist. Imagine being given this incredible responsibility and unbelievable privilege of not only being a blood cousin of Jesus but also being called to preach to the people so as to prepare them for Jesus’ ministry and the gift of salvation. What a privilege that would be!

But according to the words of Jesus, we are all given something even greater. We are given the privilege of not only a blood relationship with Jesus but a transformation of our very soul, sharing in His divine nature. We are privileged to become totally new creations by grace. And we are also privileged to then be called to go forth and to prepare the way for Christ in the lives of others.

Sometimes, we can take the gift of salvation for granted. We can easily fail to comprehend this incredible gift. As a result, we can fail to have gratitude and fail to be in awe of what we have become in Christ.

One of the central messages of Advent is that God became man so that we could share in His divinity. This reality is beautifully presented in the prayer that the priest prays at Mass as he mixes the water and wine: ​​By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ Who humbled himself to share in our humanity. What a gift! We are called to actually share in Christ’s divinity! This gift makes us members of the Kingdom of God and is a far greater gift than even John the Baptist received in his earthly life.

Reflect, today, upon the amazing gift that you have been given through the life, death and resurrection of Christ. If you are one who has fallen into the trap of a lack of gratitude for this gift, use this Advent season to rekindle your awareness of and gratitude for all that God has done for you.

PRAYER:
My divine Savior, I thank You for the awe-inspiring gift of grace You have given me, inviting me to actually share in Your divinity. May I become more and more aware of this gift and become eternally grateful for all You have done for me. Jesus, I trust in You.