REFLECTIONS TODAY

Today’s Gospel highlights Jesus’ role as the bringer of salvation. When the disciples of John the Baptist, sent by John himself, come to Jesus to ask him if he is the one they are expecting to come, Jesus tells them to report to John the things he is doing. What Jesus tells John’s disciples reminds us of his mission statement found in Lk 4:18-19. What Jesus has been doing by the time John’s disciples come to him is the concretization of his mission as being anointed by the Spirit of the Lord. Jesus’ anointing and his being sent are inseparable. He was anointed to bring salvation to people. He fulfills his mission by saving them through concrete ways, such as healing them and proclaiming the good news to them. Those who follow Jesus do not only share in Jesus’ messianic identity, but also in his messianic mission.
As Christians, do we realize that we are also anointed and sent to mission? Does our Christian identity manifest itself in some concrete salvific acts? How can our life become a proclamation of good news this Advent season?
Gospel • Luke 7:18b-23
At that time, John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” When the men came to the Lord, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” St. Pauls, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.