ALL FLESH SHALL SEE
THE SALVATION OF GOD
THE SALVATION OF GOD
Today we
read from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians where he says he
"prays always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your
partnership for the Gospel" (Phil 1: 4-5). Paul prays that the Church's
love may grow until the day of Christ's second coming. In his prayer about love
we hear the words knowledge and value, and that we may always hunger for the
fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ.
In our
responsorial psalm we pray how the Lord had done great things for us (Ps 126:
3). We can reflect on how God has touched our lives, He releases the streams of
grace, turns the tide and makes us smile with joy in our hearts. He gives us
the faith and the patience to long for His coming again, but as we long to be
in the fullness of God's Kingdom, we continue the work that Jesus started.
John the
Baptist is a good example for each one of us, for John was a prophet, a
spokesman for God. "The word of God came to John in the wilderness."
John was pre-eminently the servant of the Word, the Word of God who became
flesh for our sake and for our salvation. John was called at a young age to
devote himself to prayer and to the Word of God. God taught him in solitude of
the desert and prepared him for a prophetic ministry to turn hearts of people
to receive their long-awaited Messiah.
We too are
called to prepare the way for Jesus' coming again and how do we prepare for His
coming? By conversion - turning our
heart and mind from sin and rebellion, indifference and skepticism, to trust
and obedience to God's word. The Gospel emphasizes the universal call of the
good news to all people.
Prayer for
reflection: Father, in the wilderness of the Jordan You sent a messenger to
prepare people's hearts for the coming of Your Son. Help me to hear His words
and repent of my sins, so that I may clearly see the way to walk, the truth to
speak, and the life to live for Him, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.