Luke 1:57-66,80 Be Heralds Of The Lord

Luke 1:57-66,80  Be Heralds Of The Lord

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The child [John The Baptist] grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

What, then, will this child be?  Fear came upon the neighbors of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.  All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?”  The answer would be made clear in God’s time.  John would become the greatest prophet of all time.  He would become the herald of the Son of God. 

We all need an introduction.  We all need a cheerleader.  John was both herald and cheerleader to the Lord.  He introduced Him to his very own disciples.  He said to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”  Follow Him.

Today, we celebrate the nativity of John the Baptist, the last of the great prophets who ushered in the Messiah.  We need to learn from him.  We need to imitate him.  For what he did, we must do.  We too must usher in the Lord in our world.  We too must be His cheerleaders and heralds.

What a tremendous responsibility Christians have in the world today!  If we do not sing of His praises, then who will? 

I’m not exaggerating when I say the name of Jesus should come up in our conversations at least once a day.  Why not?  What’s wrong with that?   His name should be as familiar to us (and to our friends) as our children!  His name should be at the tip of our tongue.  Why not?  Why not bring up His name in a cheerful way?  Why not even in a boastful way?  After all, if His name is used daily in a blasphemous way, then why not in a loving way???

There is always something to give thanks to the Lord for.  Let’s not forget the obvious!  Everything we are is due to Him.  “I praise you Lord, for I am wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

A few days ago I received the latest edition of the Texas Catholic.  I was thrilled to see the special insert dedicated to our Catholic School graduates, especially our valedictorians and salutatorians.  It took me a while to do it but I finally read their speeches.  I have to tell you that I was a bit surprised (and saddened) that very few of them mentioned God or Jesus in their speeches. 

Was there nothing to directly thank Him for? 

This morning I went to the hospital to baptize a child who will most likely not make it through the night.  As I left the hospital, I couldn't help but thank God for His blessings of life and love; and what an honor it is to experience both; and what a tremendous responsibility we all have in sharing it with others. 

In an era where religious freedom is severely curtailed, speeches are routinely censored, and valedictorians are threatened by shadowy school administrators if they even mention the word “God,” I can take pride that our Catholic school children’s mics are left alone and that their speeches are only corrected for spelling and grammatical errors. 

So why the silence regarding God?  What’s going on?  This may not be so much a question for our kids as it is for our families, schools and society in general. 

We must give thanks to God at all times and in all places.  Have we forgotten that our purpose in life is to serve Jesus Christ?  And that a very big part of our joy comes from bearing witness to the Good News?  I hope not, for almost everything else about life is simply dust in the wind.