Who Are You?
Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Luke 7: 18-23 – At that time, John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” When the men came to the Lord, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard…”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
John the Baptist was put in prison by Herod, for confronting Herod about his unlawful and immoral marriage. This is where we find John today in the Gospel. Here in prison he has time to think, and he spends his time contemplating, actually wrestling, with his understanding of Jesus. John had devoted his entire life to preparing for Jesus, and though John loved Jesus deeply, Jesus turned out to be different than John had expected. Well, something similar happens to many other Christians who wish to follow Jesus with their entire lives. Jesus is different than they expect! But how could He not be? He is God, and God is always beyond our complete understanding.
While John’s messengers are present, Jesus heals the blind, diseased, and suffering, and casts out evil spirits. Though these surely are all wonderful displays of power, they are much more meaningful than that. These healings are actually specific fulfillments of the prophecies about the coming Messiah. In healing the blind, diseased, and suffering, Jesus is proving that He is the fulfillment of God’s promise. So when Jesus tells John’s messengers, “…Go and tell John what you have seen and heard,” He is giving a very convincing answer to John’s question. Jesus doesn’t try to fit into John’s, or our, or anyone’s tiny expectations of Him. Instead He fulfills everyone’s greatest needs. Jesus is different than we expect. But Jesus is much less concerned about what we expect than He is about what we need. This Advent, let’s try to just let Jesus be Himself. We will be surprised, and deeply fulfilled, with what we see and hear!
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
