We are less than two weeks away from Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. My thoughts today are on all the times we have failed God and suffered the consequences of our sinfullness.
I thought also of how many centuries people had to wait for the promised Messiah. Ancient Israel often failed in her ordained commission to be a beacon of spiritual light to all other nations.
God made many covenants with His people through mediators such as Abraham, Moses, and David. His people broke the covenants and suffered the consequences just as we suffer the consequences today of our own sinfulness.
Today, we are fortunate the Messiah has arrived and completed His mission. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ now and forever!
Our Lent is modeled after the 40 days Jesus spent in fasting and praying in the dessert before He took on His public ministry that would end in His death and Resurrection and victory over sin and death. We must fortify ourselves like Jesus for the continued onslaught of the world, the devil, and the flesh.
Deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Jesus. There is no Easter without Good Friday. Fast from worldly things that we might focus on the spiritual; Listen to the word of God in Scripture; Pray before the blessed Sacrament that we might not succumb to the evil one.
In this blog I will focus on last two prophets of the Old and New Testament, Malachi and John the Baptist.
The last prophet of the Old Testament, Malachi, was sent by God to instruct the Jews resettling in Judea after the Babylonian captivity. Malachi revealed the spiritual and moral shortcomings of the priests and common people alike.
Tithing was being neglected; divorce had become commonplace; and there were mixed marriages with pagan peoples. Moral and spiritual laxity, pride, indifference, permissiveness and skepticism were growing. Their sins were the reason that God was once again stripping away their physical prosperity and position of influence in the region. Malachi pleaded with his countrymen to humble themselves in prayer (Malachi 1:9).
Malachi 3:1 states, “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant.” This passage predicts the coming of John the Baptist, “My messenger” and Jesus Christ, “the Messenger of the covenant”.
In the Daily Office of prayers we read the prayer of Zechariah to his son, John the Baptist, “You, My child shall be called The prophet of the Most High, For you will go before the Lord to prepare His way, To give his people knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins.”
When John began his ministry dressed with Elijah-styled camel’s hair and leather girdle, this signaled to the Jews that he was playing the part of the returned Elijah. John and Elijah had much more in common than clothing. Both John and Elijah were great prophets. Both challenged evil kings to change their wicked ways, and both were persecuted for doing so.
Both John and Elijah prepared the way for prophets with even greater ministries than their own. Before Elijah was taken up to heaven, he gave his successor, Elisha, a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:9, 15). Elisha then went on to do even greater things than his predecessor Elijah had done. For example, Elisha miraculously raised a child from the dead (2 Kings 4:32–37), and multiplied barley loaves to feed a crowd (2 Kings 4:42–44).
As Jesus approached, John pointed out to his disciples, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! When John baptized Jesus, the Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove, and this event served as the foundation for his public ministry. Jesus then went on to do even greater works than John the Baptist. Like Elisha, Jesus also raised a child from the dead (Mt. 9:23–25), and multiplied barley loaves to feed the multitudes (Jn. 6:9–14).
At the Jordan River, Elijah transferred his prophetic mission to his successor, Elisha. (2 Kings 2:6–14). It was also there that the new Elijah—John the Baptist—passed the baton to Jesus, who then began his public ministry as the new Elisha. (Luke 3:11)
Jesus is that faithful “son of Abraham” (Mt. 1:1), that faithful Israelite, through whom a broken human family would find healing and reunion with its heavenly Father. Through Jesus, God’s blessing went out from Israel to embrace the whole world. Through Israel’s royal representative—Jesus—God’s people finally became what they were always meant to be: light to the world.
Lent is the favorable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in His word, in His sacraments, and in our neighbor. May the Holy Spirit lead us on a true journey of conversion, so that we can rediscover the gift of God’s word, be purified of sin that blinds us, and serve Christ present in our brothers and sisters in need.
REFLECTION
Do I fortify myself like Jesus with prayer and fasting…fasting means much more than not eating food…do I fast from making judgments…do I fast from anger, from unkind thoughts and words…. do I deny myself and choose God’s holy will over mine… do I seek power and glory for myself…or give all glory to God…All we are and all we have is a gift from God….how do we show our gratitude…are we passing God’s gifts to others….
PRAYER
Lord God, Almighty have mercy on me, a sinner.
Teach me to be humble,
and receive your gifts with gratitude
and share with others.
I know your gifts are not meant for me alone
and no one gets to heaven by themselves.
Let me be an instrument of yours
by proclaiming the Gospel, when it is easy and when it is hard.
In Jesus’ name, I pray!