23rd WEDNESDAY IN WEEK 4 OF ADVENT

1st Reading: Malachi 3:1-4, 4,4-6

See , I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight- indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

But who can endure the day of his coming , and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's  fire and like fuller's soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Look, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.

Gospel: Luke 1:57-66

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eight day they came  to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zachariah after his father. But his mother said, " No;  he is to be called John." They said to her, " None of your relatives has this name." 

Then they began motioning to his father to find out  what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, " His name  is John." And  all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, " What then will this child become?" For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS ON THE READINGS

" The birth of John"

It is our custom and tradition to give a name to the newly born child. We can ask ourselves this simple question that what exactly is in a name? In the Haya tribe in Bukoba when a woman gives birth to a child, the arrangements are always made to contact the grandparents of the child to look for a name to be given to the newly born baby. Thus the grandparents suggest the name of a particular saints to be given to a child as the Church strongly suggests so that this saint can become the model of Christian life for the child.

For the Jews and even in ancient times, a person's name is important. It is because this carries all his life and determines his own identity, his character and the task and program this person should perform in life. For instance, Angel Gabriel told the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph to name the Child in the womb of the Virgin as "Yeshu" or Jesus which means, " God saves." This is the program and the task why Jesus became man, that is in order to save us from sin and death. For us we may realize the importance of name  more especially in official documents.  We may have troubles and problems in applying for jobs or joining learning institutions  when the spelling of our names is wrong.

Today's gospel reading we are presented an event in the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth when they were about to give a name to their child. Some of their relatives and neighbors wanted the child to bear the name of his father. However, John and Elizabeth insisted to name their child, John. The meaning of the name John or " Jehonanam" in Hebrew is ' God is gracious.' Thus the task that was ahead of John  was to announce to people that God is indeed gracious and is about to save us from sin and death through His son Jesus. He would pave the way for Jesus, a herald of Christ and guided the people to Christ.

The name John which means ' God is gracious'  will lead us to reflect on the graciousness of God. There was this atheist who said, " If there is a God, may he prove Himself by striking me dead right now." Nothing happened. " You see, there is no God." Somebody responded: " You have only proved that He is a gracious God."

What will be our response to God's graciousness and love to us? our response can be of being obedient to Him. When God plans something, His plans have to be followed by us up to the last most detail. His word has to be believed. That is why Zechariah lost his speech because he doubted the words of the angel that his wife would bear a son even in her old age. 

Nevertheless to conform to God's plan is not easy. This has been the cause of the downfall  of the angels( Rev.12:7), of the fall of our first parents in the Garden of Eden ( Gen 3:1), of troubles and conflicts between husband and wife and within the family and of wars between peoples and nations. However, were there is conformity of will there is peace, harmony, sharing of values and love.

Let us always remember now that God is always at work around us; God pursues a continuing  love relationship with us that is real and personal and we come to know God by experience as we obey Him and as He accomplishes His work through us.