Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 23, 2023
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”
Elizabeth exemplifies what it means to fully participate in Advent. In today’s reading, she reminds us that when we slow down and listen attentively, we are often surprised by God’s loving desire to make more of us.
We know Elizabeth was a woman of deep faith, who upheld Jewish customs and traditions. She also experienced her fair share of darkness. Infertile during a time when women were defined by motherhood, she must have been the object of considerable gossip or pity. And while this shame burdened Elizabeth, it also invited her to discover new dimensions of who she was and what she was becoming.
As Elizabeth waited and listened in the darkness, God visited her in the person of her cousin, Mary, prompting her unborn infant to unexpectedly “leap in her womb.” This consoling, albeit mysterious, experience invited Elizabeth to discover an unfolding sense of her vocation—not only as the mother of a future prophet but also as a prophet herself who recognized the infant in Mary’s womb as the Messiah.
Elizabeth’s evolving call is further revealed at her son’s ceremony of circumcision. We can only imagine the disbelief among the priestly audience and relatives when Elizabeth defied social custom and declared her son be named John. Her conviction to speak it without fear must have formed deep within her as she grew increasingly aware of what God was doing in her life. This act of faith so moved Zechariah that, when handed a tablet and asked to write his son’s name, he immediately affirmed her declaration.
“What, then, will this baby be?” While Elizabeth and others wondered about John, Elizabeth also heard God’s call to ask herself this question. As Advent people, may we do likewise, fully trusting that the “hand of the Lord” is always inviting us to grow into the light of God’s ever-unfolding dream for us and our world.
Prayer
Lord, we hear in today’s gospel about the birth of John the Baptist. He was to go before you, clearing the way and lighting up the path you were to follow. Now it is our turn to prepare the way for others to find you by the way we lead our lives. Give us the courage and zeal of John to do so. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. John Cantius was a brilliant Polish scholar who cultivated a life of holiness just as much as he cultivated the life of his mind.
He was born 1390 in Poland, and attended Krakow Academy, where he eventually earned a doctorate. He was ordained a priest three years after graduating, and went on to teach sacred Scripture and physics. His work helped pave the way for insights from Galileo and Newton.
He was a popular professor, and some of his colleagues were jealous of his rapport with students. They spread false rumors about him, and he was moved to a parish in a remote, small town. He was terrified of his new role, but took it seriously, working diligently and patiently with the people to whom he was assigned. It took eight years for his name to be cleared, and when it was time for him to return to the university, the people from the small parish mourned his loss—they followed him out of town for several miles, asking him to remain with them.
John made four pilgrimages from Poland, traveling by foot to Rome three times and once to the Holy Land. He was known for a simple lifestyle—he only possessed and ate what he needed, and gave generously to the poor.
The story is told that once, as he sat down to his dinner, John saw a beggar passing by in the street. He stood up and immediately went outside with his bowl of food and gave it to the beggar, saying nothing.
“Fight all error,” he would tell his students, “but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause.”
John died at the age of 83, and his tomb remains a popular pilgrimage place in Krakow.
St. John Cantius, you were the professor who made your life a study in holiness, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. John Cantius is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Last accessed November 7, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.