First reading Zephaniah 3:14-18
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst
Shout for joy, daughter of Zion,
Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has repealed your sentence;
he has driven your enemies away.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;
you have no more evil to fear.
When that day comes, word will come to Jerusalem:
Zion, have no fear,
do not let your hands fall limp.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a victorious warrior.
He will exult with joy over you,
he will renew you by his love;
he will dance with shouts of joy for you
as on a day of festival.
Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 12
The rejoicing of a redeemed people
Sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Truly, God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his name.
Sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Sing a psalm to the Lord
for he has done glorious deeds;
make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Second reading Philippians 4:4-7
The Lord is very near
I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness. Let your tolerance be evident to everyone: the Lord is very near.
There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.
Gospel Luke 3:10-18
‘Someone is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire’
When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do?’ he answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.’ There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’ He said to them, ‘Exact no more than your rate.’ Some soldiers asked him in their turn, ‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!’
A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’ As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News to them.
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An attractive and authentic faith
The fire of passion for God led John the Baptist to live a life of simplicity, speak out against injustice, and be free from the comforts, fame, and wealth of this world. Those who gathered around him to listen to his teachings saw the authenticity of his life, and thus, they were attracted to the way he lived his life and asked him, “What must we do?”. As we prepare ourselves to celebrate Christmas, let us look at how we live our faith and life. Are we attracting people to Jesus by the way we live with true freedom, honesty and love for God and others?
John the Baptist’s reply to their question, “What must we do?” is to change themselves. He did not tell the tax collectors and soldiers to leave their jobs and embrace His radical lifestyle. Instead, he told the crowd to share with the poor, the tax collectors to be honest, and the soldiers not to oppress the people. He called them to put God into their relationships with others. May the words of John the Baptist challenge us to live out our faith in our daily life.
Question for reflection:
How can I live my faith in my life?
How can I live my faith in my life?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr. Sandra Seow FMVD.
