Daily Gospel
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah
IS 45:6C-8, 18, 21C-25
I am the LORD, there is no other;
I form the light, and create the darkness,
I make well-being and create woe;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,
like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;
let justice also spring up!
I, the LORD, have created this.
For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,
but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Who announced this from the beginning
and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, the LORD,
besides whom there is no other God?
There is no just and saving God but me.
Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear,
Saying, “Only in the LORD
are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come
all who vent their anger against him.
In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory
of all the descendants of Israel.”
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 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.”
Wednesday of the Third Week in Advent
Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
(Lk 7:19-23)
God’s Word to Us
Dear People of God,
The Word of God in today’s Gospel recounts the question Saint John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to verify: Is Jesus the Savior who came into the world, or is there another Savior to wait for? The disciples obeyed John’s command and went to seek Jesus. When they found Him, they saw the miracles that He had done on earth: the blind could see, the deaf could hear, the lepers were cleansed, the lame walked, and the dead were raised. The poor heard the Good News: Blessed are those who do not stumble because of Me.
Thereby, Jesus answered John and all mankind: The Son of God has come into the world and He is in the midst of mankind. He is with people and accompanies them everywhere at all times. It is He who is love, it is He who gives blessings, and it is He who is the resurrection. Therefore, only the Son of God can bring eternal peace to people, that is, bring happiness and life to mankind. Only in God is their eternal love. In this world, there is no love as great as the love of God. This love has been shown to mankind in the Son of God who sacrificed Himself to give life to man, and He is always with mankind until the end of the world.
Through the image of the Son of God who came to earth as a man, God wanted to say to humanity: “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”. His Word reminds humanity: Stay awake to follow the way of God’s light and to walk on the path of truth, justice, and peace. Only through God can love be given to man; apart from His love, there is no other love. No one but God can give life to man. Therefore, God wants to say to all mankind: “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” For the Word of God is always opposed to the darkness of Satan and against the world. Human beings easily fall into the temptations and traps of Satan, which are the glory and false peace here on earth.
God wants humanity to be awake to walk on the path of God’s light, on the way of His love. Thereby, God wants to tell all mankind that: God is a God of love, He came into the world, and He is with humanity, with people. Practice the Words He gives to mankind. Run to God, for only God is the Source of peace and happiness; only in God is great love. Besides Him, no one can bring happiness and eternal life to people.
Therefore, the Word of God today calls to all mankind:
-Stand up! Walk on the path of light that is the Word of God, walk on the path of love on which the Son of God descended and dwelt with humanity.
– Remain in the love of God, and walk on the path of truth and life that He has always called to humanity.
– Walk in the grace and love that God has given to all mankind. Run to the light of the Word of God, run to the good examples of the Son of God who is among humanity in today’s world.
– Don’t walk on the dark path anymore; return to the way of light, Saint John the Baptist was the messenger who prepared the way for the Savior to enter the world, and God dwelt among mankind to this day.
– Hear the Word of God, listen to the messengers God has given all mankind, is that we are waiting for a Savior to be born, we are waiting for a Savior to come to set humanity free from Satan’s captivity.
Thanks Be to God. Amen.
