Word to the Wise
Wednesday, December 23, 2020 - December 23
[Mal 3:1-4, 23-24 and Luke 1:57-66]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....Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes.... [Malachi] "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. [Luke]
Aren't we getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus? Why is the birth of John the Baptist part of the celebration? The simplest answer is that John is part of the story of Jesus from the beginning, just as he would be when Jesus begins his ministry. The "infancy narratives" contain the whole message of the gospel because they were written last. In some nativity scenes over the years I have seen a figurine of John the Baptist (an adult one!) standing off to one side! The early Christian community would see John the Baptist as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi. Indeed, Jesus speaks of him as being that person (Luke 7:27).
All of this reminds us as we focus on Bethlehem and Baby Jesus that there is a bigger picture being revealed which unfolds throughout the liturgical year. John the Baptist is an important figure but the arrival of the Shepherds and the Magi will introduce us to the wider community for whom Jesus is born, a community of which we are all members - the Body of Christ! By baptism, we become part of the scene in the stable. AMEN