The Gospel for Tuesday of the fourth week of Advent is taken from Luke 57:66 when the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah, after his father. But his mother said in reply, no, he will be called John. But they answered her, there is no one among your relatives who has this name. So they made signs asking his father what he wished him to be called.

He asked for a tablet and wrote, john is his name. And all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke, blessing God. Then fear came upon all the neighbors, 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? For surely the hand of the Lord is with him.

You. It’s interesting that this transition involved two men, John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah. And when you look at it carefully, you recognize that they were both so important in being able to create a new image of who God is. A God. Not distant, not in the temple only, but somehow breaking free of that structure and filling people’s hearts with love, understanding, compassion. What an amazing transformation, and how amazing John was in making sure this happened.

It took us through the liminal space of transition that we still are somehow always engaged in because each person has to go through it. That’s the gift of this figure. John, after your reflection, I will close with a prayer. Foreign. Closing prayer Father, always we find ourselves as we grow in consciousness, going through thresholds of new insights, new revelations. Bless us in this work of transformation.

It is the call of the Gospel, is each of us announcing the fullness of the kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.