December 23   (from the book: Where is the Child? by Fr. R. Marcos (Makati: St Pauls);  pls responsibly acknowledge source when using publicly)   fr tam nguyen’s photo   First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 [Thus says the Lord God:] Now I am sending my messenger— he will prepare the way before me; and the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple; the messenger of the covenant whom you desire—see, he is coming! says the Lord of hosts. ‘ But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand firm when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like fullers’ lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, that they may bring offerings to the LORD in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord, as in ancient days, as in years gone by. Now I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day; he will turn the heart of fathers to their sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with utter destruction. A. Short Background on the First Reading 1. The Old Testament book of Malachi could have been written by a prophet with the same name. It could also be that the title was referring to the “messenger” mentioned in the text. This messenger belongs to the eschatological future; that means, he would come at the end. This messenger is also identified with Elijah, the prophet whose return is awaited by the people. As we read this biblical passage, a few days before Christmas, we are reminded that the circumstances of the Lord’s birth find resonance in the utterances of old. Therefore there is a complete continuity between Old and New in the biblical view of salvation. Christian writers of the Scriptures equate the “messenger” of the book of Malachi to the figure of John the Baptist. 2. Malachi’s book provides six oracles in which he reveals his favorable stance on the levitical priests, his support of the people’s obligations to contribute to the temple and its personnel, his concern for the abandoned wife, the forsaken people, and the defenseless. Part of this book addresses the problem of the cynicism of the people due to the increasing prosperity of evildoers. God promised that there would a future judgment in which justice would prevail. A time would come when society would be purified from its malpractices and sins. B. Reflections on the First Reading Reflection 1: On Purification How can the First Reading be numbered among the messages that are so close to Christmas? It seems to have so little in common with the Christmas theme because it speaks in terrible terms of a coming purification: God is like a fire, he is portrayed as lye (which is a strong solution for cleansing); he sits refining and purifying people as if working on silver and metals. But if we ponder on this a little more, we can appreciate how it is a reading appropriate for the coming Christmas feast. Truly we need purification to welcome the Lord who is to come. We must ask the Lord to purify our hearts, in order to welcome worthily the Christ Child. If we are humble, we can truly welcome the gift of God. The reading may have begun in a tone of doom but it ends with a note of hope. God does not threaten his people because he hates them. His strong words are a loving reminder that they may return to him and find his mercy and joy. A very good Catholic practice is to go to Confession before Christmas. In this sacrament, we are purified from our sins so that we can joyfully receive the blessings of the Christ Child. Try going to Confession before Christmas. Reflection 2: Prophets and Saints As we prepare for Christmas, the Lord gives us people who will enable us to focus on the message of the season; people who will help us avoid being drowned in many distracting thoughts, activities, and traditions. We need people to remind us how to celebrate our faith and its rituals correctly so that they will not be merely routine actions. These people are the heroes of our faith, who, like the prophet Elijah, instill in us the right attitude in the midst of our festivities. The prophets are first among these spiritual guides, and listening to their message can truly bring about conversion in our hearts. As Christians, we also have the saints who are fine examples of faith and are our true brothers and sisters in our daily struggle for holiness. The saints can help us appreciate Christmas with a freshness of spirit. Why don’t we revisit the stories of the Advent and Christmas saints and learn from their teachings and their virtues? In them we see concretely the way to incarnate the message of Christmas. Through them we learn to cherish our faith not only on special occasions but every day. GOSPEL: Luke 1:57-66 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son.  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”  So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.  He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout … Continue reading SIMBANG GABI DAY 8: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS