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GOSPEL POWER l JUNE 23, 2022 - THURSDAY
GOSPEL POWER l JUNE 23, 2022
Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist
Gospel: Lk 1:57-66, 80
57The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. …80The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.
The beginning of the Lucan Gospel is like a bridge that provides a gradual transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The Old is not discarded, and the New does not render the Old irrelevant. Rather, the New is born out of the Old, and its meaning can only be understood in the light of the Old. The story of John the Baptist’s birth to an elderly couple can be read from this perspective. This marvelous event is the work of the same God, who is both the God of promises (Old Testament) and of fulfillment (New Testament). Elizabeth’s relatives and neighbors, having no idea of the newness God is bringing about, want to impose the accepted tradition of giving the child an old name — his father’s name. Elizabeth protests, so they turn to Zechariah for approval. But Zechariah’s nine months of silence have taught him the wisdom of welcoming God’s surprises. He, too, surprises everyone as he writes: “John is his name,” at which he regains his speech.
Lord Jesus, help us to trust the newness that God wants to bring about whenever we are thrown into crisis. May the experience lead us to a new discovery of the graciousness of God. Amen
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By Daughters of St. Paul | Phil-Malaysia- PNG-Thai Province
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GOSPEL POWER l JUNE 23, 2022
Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist
Gospel: Lk 1:57-66, 80
57The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. …80The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.
The beginning of the Lucan Gospel is like a bridge that provides a gradual transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The Old is not discarded, and the New does not render the Old irrelevant. Rather, the New is born out of the Old, and its meaning can only be understood in the light of the Old. The story of John the Baptist’s birth to an elderly couple can be read from this perspective. This marvelous event is the work of the same God, who is both the God of promises (Old Testament) and of fulfillment (New Testament). Elizabeth’s relatives and neighbors, having no idea of the newness God is bringing about, want to impose the accepted tradition of giving the child an old name — his father’s name. Elizabeth protests, so they turn to Zechariah for approval. But Zechariah’s nine months of silence have taught him the wisdom of welcoming God’s surprises. He, too, surprises everyone as he writes: “John is his name,” at which he regains his speech.
Lord Jesus, help us to trust the newness that God wants to bring about whenever we are thrown into crisis. May the experience lead us to a new discovery of the graciousness of God. Amen