Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 / Luke 1:57-66

We are anxious! Christmas is coming! Jesus will soon be born! These are the last days of Advent Season!

While Jesus is not born, let us speak of the birth of John the Baptist, the son of the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth, a relative of the virgin Mary.

Today the evangelist Luke tells us about the joy of John the Baptist's parents, his relatives and neighbors. They praised God for His mercy toward Elizabeth, who was old and barren.

A week later, when the newborn was circumcised, his mother named him John (which means "God is favorable"), which was confirmed by his father.

Then Zechariah spoke again and began to praise God. Let us remember that he had remained mute because he had not believed the news of Elizabeth's pregnancy that the archangel Gabriel had announced to him.

When they learned of John’s birth, people wondered about the future of this child. And the evangelist concludes by saying that the hand of the Lord was with John.

So let us join Zechariah and Elizabeth in joyfully praising God for His mercy manifested in the birth of John, six months before the birth of Jesus.

Today the prophet Malachi tells us of the Lord God’s promise to send a precursor to prepare His way. He is called an angel, the prophet Elijah. His mission is to convert hearts, to preserve them from the curse upon the earth.

For us Christians, this precursor is John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth who, through his preaching and baptism of repentance, prepared the Jews for the arrival of the Savior Jesus.

He is about to be born. He is growing in the womb of the virgin Mary, Joseph’s wife. Let us make our joy and praise to God contagious to everyone!

Local: Springfield, MA, EUA

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