Readings: Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13, Ps. 34:2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23, Matthew 21:28-32
“John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him?” (Matthew 21:32)
For many years, the people of Israel, the chosen race, looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. They recited the Old Testament every day, hoping that God would eventually send them the Messiah. However, when God answered their prayer, they didn’t believe it; they looked down on Jesus, rejected his message, questioned his authority, and doubted his miracles.
John tells us: “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.” (John 1:10-11). God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Christ. While the tax collectors and sinners were going to John the Baptist to confess their sins and receive baptism, the self-righteous religious leaders turned a deaf ear.
Even though they recognised that John the Baptist was truly sent from God, they refused to accept Jesus Christ as the long-awaited Messiah. The religious leaders had become what the prophet Zephaniah described in today’s first reading: one who “is rebellious and defiled… She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction…”
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus offered a vivid analogy for these religious leaders. They make everyone believe they are close to God, but in reality, they mounted the most tremendous opposition to God. They are like the first son who said “Yes” to his father, but eventually, his actions betrayed his words. Do my actions betray my promises to God?
Have I been praying for something for so long that I now fail to realise that God has already answered my prayer? What is it that I am looking down upon now that I ought to be grateful for?
Let us pray: O God, who through your Only Begotten Son have made us a new creation, look kindly, we pray, on the handiwork of your mercy, and at your Son’s coming, cleanse us from every stain of the old way of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Tuesday of the 3rd week of Advent Liturgical Colour: Violet. Bible Study: Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13, Ps. 34:2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23, Matthew 21:28-32)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu