By Praveen Bandula, CSC –
Readings: Is 41: 13-20 Mt 11: 11-15
In the advent season we reflect upon two important people from the Gospels they are Mary and John the Baptist. Two of them had a great role in bringing the good news to the people in their own way. Mother Mary brought the salvation of the world by carrying the good news in her womb.
John the Baptist proclaimed the good news of coming salvation through making people to get ready by receiving the baptism to free from past sinful life in order to be pure to receive the coming messiah. Like Jesus, John the Baptist too had a miraculous birth and it was the will of the God the Father.
In today’s gospel reading Jesus praises John as great among born of women. Yet he says that in the kingdom of heaven the least will be the greater than John. We too have a certain role to be completed in our life before leaving the earth. That is to believe, love and serving Christ the savior by proclaiming him to everyone whomever we meet in our daily lives, like John the Baptist who went beyond his capacity to challenge the king Herod for his sinful life, for this we need courage and self righteousness.
The Lord is assuring us through the first reading that ‘for I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you’. If you are truthful and pure in heart and mind he will be with us to strengthen us to speak the good news to the people in the world. Let us prepare ourselves to welcome the Lord into our heart by keeping it pure and pray to him to be with us in our journey in taking the good news of Christ to everyone.
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