Reflection for December 23, Saturday of the Third Week of Advent: Luke 1:57-66

Gospel: Luke 1:57-66

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 their 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 was with him.”

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Reflection:

“What then will this child be?” asked the neighbors about the newly born John. Perhaps, this is also the million dollar question that every parents ask themselves when their child is born.

A child’s future to a great extent depends on how their parents rear them. As for John the Baptist, even if his destiny was already carved in stone and even if the guidance of the Lord was with him he was also properly brought up by his parents: Elizabeth and Zechariah.

Baptism is the beginning of a child’s journey with God.  After baptism it is now the responsibilities of the parents to properly rear their child according to the teachings and values of the Catholic faith. What happens then if the parents are irresponsible and they failed to properly guide the child? The parents are partly to blame if the child ends up as a failure in his/her adult life.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both good parents to John. They taught him discipline, simplicity, humility, and the like. John imbibed all of these values given to him by his parents. His parents' teachings were John’s guiding light that prepared him to become the precursor for Jesus.

How are you rearing your child or how did your parents raise you? – Marino J. Dasmarinas