First reading Isaiah 41:13-20
I, the Holy One of Israel, am your redeemer
I, the Lord, your God,
I am holding you by the right hand;
I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,
I will help you.’
Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm,
Israel, puny mite.
I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks –
the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.
See, I turn you into a threshing-sled,
new, with doubled teeth;
you shall thresh and crush the mountains,
and turn the hills to chaff.
You shall winnow them and the wind will blow them away,
the gale will scatter them.
But you yourself will rejoice in the Lord,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
The poor and needy ask for water, and there is none,
their tongue is parched with thirst.
I, the Lord, will answer them,
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
I will make rivers well up on barren heights,
and fountains in the midst of valleys;
turn the wilderness into a lake,
and dry ground into waterspring.
In the wilderness I will put cedar trees,
acacias, myrtles, olives.
In the desert I will plant juniper,
plane tree and cypress side by side;
so that men may see and know,
may all observe and understand
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Responsorial Psalm 144(145):1,9-13a
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
I will give you glory, O God my king,
I will bless your name for ever.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Gospel Matthew 11:11-15
A greater than John the Baptist has never been seen
Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm. Because it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading; and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!’
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Greater than John the Baptist
“…of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist”. Jesus had high praise for John the Baptist. Yet, even though John the Baptist was great, he was just a voice crying out in the desert and pointing to someone greater than himself, Jesus. Because of his mission, he was executed and did not live to witness Jesus’ death and resurrection and respond to become His disciple and follow Him.
Jesus then continued, “the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he”. He was referring to us, His disciples, who are greater than John the Baptist, because we have the privilege to taste the joy of His death and resurrection, and even today, we continue to enjoy His presence in and through the Scripture and the Eucharist. As we prepare for Christmas, let us not be so busy with shopping and feasting that we take for granted how truly blessed we are. May we enjoy the living presence of Jesus and commit ourselves to live as His disciples.
Reflective question:
Do I appreciate the gift of Jesus in my life?
Do I appreciate the gift of Jesus in my life?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
