Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 23, 2025
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.”
Today, a child is born. A child whose birth was prophesied. A child whose birth was accompanied by miracles. No, not Jesus. Not the child we’ve been waiting and preparing for all Advent. Today, we hear about the birth of John, and it’s easy to pass over. There are so many preparations still needed for Christmas, and the parties have already begun. Besides, it’s Jesus we’re waiting for.
In the face of this gospel, I can recognize two attitudes in myself. The first is the part of me that is too busy to notice what’s happening today. I know God is acting today, but I have deadlines to meet and to-do lists to complete. The second is the desire to hurry on to the future, to get to the good part. Certainly, it’s good to accomplish my daily duties, to get Christmas ready for those I love.
Certainly, it’s good to desire the good things of the future. But I can get so caught up in those attitudes that I can miss what God is doing today. God is completing his word today, God is working miracles today, in the gospel, and in my life.
Today I want to find a moment to ask with the speakers in the gospel, “What, then, will this child be?” What gift, then, Lord, will this day be? After all, once we get to Christmas, we will proclaim, “Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord,” but we don’t have to wait until Christmas: Christ wants to be born in our hearts, in my heart, today, in the busyness and hope for the future. Will I pause for a moment to notice his presence? Will I let him meet me here as I am today?
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.
