"I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Luke 3:16


In the gospel, John the Baptist preaches to the different kinds of peoples; the crowds, the tax collectors and as well as the soldiers. First, John the Baptist tells the masses to sacrifice their extra cloaks to the ones that do not have as he also taught them the value of generosity. As for the tax collectors, John the Baptist tells them to receive what is expected and do not ask for more. He taught them the value of contentment for the tax collectors in his time were famous for their corruption. Lastly, the soldiers were told not to commit extortion and to never falsely accuse anyone. John the Baptist introduced to them the value of real humility.
These values that he has taught to the peoples were basically a reminder for us to become better Christians. We may not have the same titles from this gospel such as tax collectors or soldiers, but we must admit that there are times when we tend to act differently. As millennials, we become magnets to our prized possessions such as our phones or tablets or even buy too many clothes just to fit in. There are also times when we become so spoiled to our parents, we ask for too much material things because we are not contented of what we have now. When things get rough whether in school or at work, our attitude of being prideful gets the best of us.

I hope this Christmas, may we put to heart the real meaning of Christmas which is to be a person for others who are in need. Let us learn to internalize all the values that John the Baptist have said in the gospel with love. Let us not be carried away with the things that are happening in the modern world. Temptations may also be around lurking around in every corner, but it is our duty to build our walls and to fix our eyes on to how we become a person.


Frederick Limbo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SUNDAY REFLECTION (Jn 6:60-69)

        The gospel for today highlights the challenging nature of Jesus' teachings, and the importance of faith in truly understanding and accepting them.       Many of Jesus' own disciples found his words about the necessity of his body and blood for eternal life to be "hard" or difficult to accept. This shows that we humans tend to struggle with concepts that go beyond our natural understanding while Jesus’ teachings often had a deeper spiritual meaning that only Jesus or God knows. This also shows that faith is necessary in order to fully accept Jesus’ teachings, and that it is not enough to simply hear the words - we must also be willing to put our faith in them.      Ultimately, this gospel reminds us that following Jesus requires willingness and faith to understand the challenging truths of his teachings, and to rely on God's Spirit to guide our understanding. It's a call to a deeper level of commitment, beyond the surface level of discipleship. - Adrian
Read more

SUNDAY REFLECTION (Mk 7:18, 14-15, 21-23)

   The Gospel passage addresses how the Pharisees and scribes were upset because Jesus’ followers didn’t follow the tradition of washing their hands before eating. They were more concerned about it because the Pharisees believed this washing was necessary to stay “pure” and “clean”. However, Jesus tells them that they are focusing too much on these man-made rules; they are misguided by it, but Jesus explains that it is not what we do outside but rather what really matters is what is inside our hearts; this includes our thoughts, intentions, and actions that come from within and what really makes a person unclean and impure isn’t how they don’t wash before eating but the bad thoughts and actions that come within their hearts.         In essence, Jesus is teaching us to prioritize our inner transformation over external conformity. Reminding us that purity comes from having a good heart. As 1 Samuel 16:7 says, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lor
Read more

Us and Our God Against the World

Just like when we trust God, we know that He'll always be with us through our hardships. Once we realize that it is not us against the world; rather, it's us and our God against the world, we suddenly realize that we don't have to go through this life alone. We should be accepting of others around us because we were made in God's image. We may overcome previously insurmountable obstacles if we have complete faith that someone will be there for us in our hour of need. - Charlz Racel Dela Cruz
Read more