Gospel: Luke 1: 57-66, 80
In the coming of John the Baptist we have an ironic twist to an ancient biblical story. In the announcement of Isaac's birth, Sarah laughs at the idea while Abraham accepts the message of the angel. Here in John we have a reversal: Elizabeth is the one to believe and to insist in spite of all opposition from family and friends while her husband the high priest doubts and is punished for it. John is to be a special person indeed.
John is entrusted with the task of announcing the coming of the Lord Jesus, in recognizing the Lord present in our very times and in pointing out that presence to us. John would preach repentance of sins and encourage people to wash clean in the waters of baptism in the Jordan. Then, when Jesus did come in their midst, John would point to him and encourage others to follow the Lord in all things.
In all of this, John prefigures our own calling as followers of the Lord Jesus. We are to encourage others to turn away from sin, to wash clean in the waters of baptism, and to point to the Lord's presence in our world today. We find the Lord present in the poor and marginalized. We find our sins have created the poor and marginalized. We repent of these sins, and we seek to serve the needs of the poor - of the Lord himself - in our time and place.
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