Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 15, 2019
When John the Baptist heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.
“What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Reflection
What a curious line to end today’s gospel. Why would John the Baptist and his disciples, of all people, be offended at Jesus for bringing good news to the poor by giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, mobility to the lame, and life to the dead?
Jesus’ final words here suggest that he knew that his contemporaries, perhaps including John, were expecting a Messiah who would judge with wrath and kill enemies rather than heal ills and offer blessings. Jesus answers the disciples’ question about whether or not he is the “one who is to come” by allowing them to see his healing acts, knowing that these works of mercy wouldn’t match their expectations for the Messiah they awaited.
We may be unlike John in our familiarity with the idea of a healing Messiah. Yet, might we be quite like John in our mistaken expectations of who Jesus is and what he does for us?
Today’s gospel reminds us that while Advent is indeed a season of waiting, it’s not about waiting for our expectations of God to be fulfilled. God surely cares to hear our needs as we understand them, but if our waiting is anything like John experienced, it’s less about the fulfillment of our needs as we see them and more about learning how to see and respond to the world’s deepest poverties as God sees them.
Prayer
God of our hope, on this third Sunday of Advent we light the pink candle of joy, for the dawn of our salvation is near at hand! Anoint our hearts with your glad tidings of the coming of our Savior, that we might—with Notre Dame Our Mother—proclaim the greatness of the Lord. For our Lord comes to dwell with us, to set us free from all that would dare to quench the Spirit, and to announce again a year of favor from the Lord. In joyous hope, we make our prayer in Christ our Savior. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli was an Italian woman in a struggling marriage until the death of her husband freed her to dedicate all of her resources to serving those most in need in her community.
She was born in 1587 in Genoa to a family of nobles. Though she felt a calling to dedicate her life to prayer and service in a religious community, she was given in marriage to a well-known and wealthy young man, Gaspare.
The couple had two daughters, but Gaspare’s attention was divided by pursuits of pleasure. Living harshly shortened his life, and Virginia found herself a widow by the time she was 20. Her father tried to arrange a second marriage, but she refused and made a vow of chastity.
While she remained obedient to her father in other matters, and never disregarded the care of her own children, she began to share her available time and resources with those in need. She felt called to serve God through the poor, and dedicated half of her wealth to those who lacked what they needed for a dignified life.
When her daughters had grown and accepted marriages, Virginia turned her full attention to helping orphans, the elderly, and the sick. War, epidemics, and famine all brought many suffering people to her doorstep. She began to go a step further, traveling to disreputable areas of the city to seek out those in danger, especially women.
An empty convent stood near the town, and she was given permission to rent it to care for children who were orphaned and suffering from a plague and famine. Other women came to join her in service. Within three years, some 300 were receiving care there, and the center was recognized as a hospital. She organized the women who came to help her into a community, and spent the rest of her life supporting their work to serve God through the poor.
Nobles and government officials called upon her to help mediate differences, and she gathered people to find ways to fight systems of inequality in the region. Despite all of these engagements, she never lost sight of the poor—she always had time and assistance to offer them, and continued to seek them out. She died on this date in 1651, and was canonized by Pope. St. John Paul II in 2003.
St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli, you served God through the poor, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli is in the public domain. Last accessed November 21, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
