Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 7:18b-23
December 14, 2022 | Wednesday
John’s disciples informed him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples, and sent them to the Lord with this message, “Are you the one we are expecting, or should we wait for another?” These men came to Jesus and said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask you: Are you the one we are to expect, or should we wait for another?” At that time, Jesus healed many people of their sicknesses and diseases; he freed them from evil spirits and he gave sight to the blind. Then he answered the messengers, “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the poor are given good news. Now, listen: Fortunate are those who meet me, and are not offended by me.”
Today’s Reflection:
The gospel account narrates the inquiry of John about the status of Jesus. Although he predicted the coming of the Messiah, John wanted to make sure that Jesus was indeed the one whom he preached in the wilderness. True enough, those sent by John had seen for themselves the wonders Jesus performed at that very moment as prophesied in the book of Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed and to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners.” A new era had arrived in the person of Jesus. His acts and instructions do not only show God’s love and power over evil but also an assurance of real freedom the citizens had been longing for. Now, John’s mission was already fulfilled because the one he proclaimed had arrived. /Vulnerasti, 2022
