Contents
Introduction
John, in his own style and language, presents further guide on how to prepare for the celebration of the commemoration of the birth of Jesus the Christ – the Anointed One of God hence, the saviour. The Pharisees needed to know with precision the identity of John the Baptizer so as to ascertain if he is the Messiah they are awaiting. The Jews who sent people to interrogate John the Baptizer are the Jewish authorities mostly concerned with ritual purifications. The Pharisees became more confused when John the Baptizer declared he was neither the Christ, Elijah, nor the Prophet. In fact, the Jews expected more people to be associated with the advent of the Messiah. This Sunday Gospel is the Johannine version of Mark 1:1–8, the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent (B). It is a further presentation of John as the forerunner of Jesus. Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent.…..
The mission of the Light
The First Reading from Isaiah outlines the functions of the messiah. In Luke 4:16b-20, we read that as Jesus entered the Synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath, “he stood up to read and he was given the book/scroll of prophet Isaiah and unrolling the book he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for this he has anointed me: to bring the Good News to the poor he has sent me, to proclaim liberation/freedom to the prisoners to the blind the recovery of sight, to send the oppressed away/free, to proclaim the year acceptable to the Lord. he rolled up the book. And gave it back to the attendant he sat down. And the eyes of everyone.….
Like John the Baptizer, we should all be witnesses to the light who is God himself. The verb to bear witness (Greek: martureō) means to see or know by personal presence; to have direct cognizance of something or someone. Therefore, we are witnesses to the God who is Light because we have all seen, known and experienced this Light in various ways. During this year, God manifested his light to us in various forms and in various circumstances. We all experienced this Light in our families, places of work, as individuals and as a community. We have many reasons to thank God. We must always speak for the Light in season and out of season. John the Baptizer says.……
FOR DETAILS, GET YOUR OWN COPIES OF THE BOOK “THE WORD OF LIFE: SUNDAY REFLECTIONS” (vols. I and II)!! The reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, Year B is found on vol. II pages 18–24. Happy reading!
For details on how to get it, contact the author on this link: https://m.me/uchennabiblia?fbclid=IwAR2yeg4a6sDGBp9QGkIvKj6FSADumMokN6lshdE0zuo-JHs6qOmlhA7jyHo or email me at: postmaster@uchennabiblia.com or simply send an SMS on 08116100926, and I will get back to you.