Sunday reflections from liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)
December 15, 2013 (edited for 12/14/2025)
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 35:1-6, 10
Psalm 146
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
"Go back and report to John what you hear and see."
St. John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah. Both of them prophets. Both were martyred. John prepared the way for Christ. And Christ prepared the way for His people, and continues to prepare the Way for all, through the ministers of the Sacraments in the Catholic Church.
After John finished his mission to baptize in the river Jordan, he decreases in stature; and Christ's mission begins to be in the forefront - to build the Kingdom of God by His mission of healing and preaching to the Jews and Gentiles who professed faith in Him. As Jesus now enters the forefront, He commends John the Baptist for his great role in preparing the people Israel to be saved from sin.
These were two great men in their own right. They call all humanity to follow in their footsteps. The mission is especially the responsibility of the faithful, who are called to bring themselves and others back to God in the fire of the Holy Spirit, by a life of repentance and amendment of life. It is the amendment and reform of one's life as well as its promotion to non-believers that witness to the life of Christ and God's Kingdom.
The baptisms performed by John the Baptist, and our own baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, makes us share in the prophetic mission of of both John the Baptist and Jesus. How are we to understand the prophetic vocation we received from baptism? A prophet is one who speaks in behalf of God to the people. He announces the Good News. And he denounces the evil of his times. This was what John the Baptist and Christ Jesus Himself also did. The gospel reveals that both their announcement of God's Kingdom and the denouncement of the evil of their own times have cost them their life. Not all are called to be martyrs like John and Christ, but all the faithful have a responsibility to be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world" - to show to the world that a life in Christ makes a big difference in the lives of others through daily acts of patience, courage, and kindness.
Given the circumstances of the world we now live in, how can we specifically be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world" for 2026? Like John the Baptist and Christ, we can follow their footsteps to witness to what they stood for: Life in all its fullness. Prophetic witness can be as simple as opting to follow the stance of the Church with regard to the culture of life. This culture of life was emphasized and made clear to everyone in the world during the pontificate of St. John Paul II. By simply respecting life in all its stages (from womb to tomb), the faithful can make a stand in Christ, and with the Church, for the mission to value the sacrality of life as a gift from God, and a responsibility to defend and protect in the very secular contexts of family, work, and charitable deeds. And this stance can also mean in our own times, to adopt the mindset of inclusivity and acceptance of diversity in the world: that no person, no community, and no country, ought to be left behind.
Verses from this Sunday readings:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened; be strong fear not! (Isaiah 35)
The Lord gives food to the hungry; He sets captives free (Psalm 146)
Steady your hearts because the coming of the Lord is at hand (James 5)
History has not known man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer (Matthew 11)
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