December 14, 2016
Wednesday
3rd Week of Advent
1st Reading: Is 45:6-8,18,21-25
Gospel: Luke 7:18-23
The disciples of John gave him all this news. So he called two of them 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 or 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 encounter me, but not for their downfall.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
When John’s disciples came to investigate his identity Jesus was immersed in his messianic work. It was a happy coincidence, for it made it easier for Jesus to answer their inquiry. He simply had to point to his works – the same works associated with the Messiah. Was it mere coincidence that John’s disciples caught Jesus “in the act”? No! Jesus was not doing a scripted outreach program for a photo opportunity. John’s disciples came on a very ordinary day in the life of a Messiah. What they saw was who Jesus was: the Messiah as foretold by Scriptures.
Should a group inquire if we are genuine Christians, would we have works to show instead of words that flow from an empty heart? Words are often self-serving, for utterances are the person’s convenient mode of defense. That is why in crucial matters truth demands that words are verified. “Yes I am a Christian” spell nothing about one’s Christian identity unless authenticated by deeds associated with Christianity. At the foundation of these deeds is charity. These deeds need not be as spectacular as restoring sight to the blind or bringing the dead back to life. No! Improving lives by feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing
the naked and comforting the sorrowing would be enough.
We are not talking of dole outs, for dole outs can condemn more than free people from misery. The works that authenticate a Christian are those done out of love – those that restore dignity to the needy, bring back life to the lonely and rest to the weary.
Jesus can actually come to us any time other than Advent. When he comes even on an ordinary day to verify our identity, may he find us doing the works of Christians – the works of charity! -(Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM., MAPM., MMExM., REB., Email: [email protected].
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