Marvee Anne M. Ramos
First Reading
Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
Lord, come and save us.
The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
Lord, come and save us.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
Lord, come and save us.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
Lord, come and save us.
Second Reading
James 5:7-10
Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Gospel
Mattthew 11:2-11
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
"Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."
As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
"What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
“Lord, come and save us.”
Do you ever wonder how many times the cashier or vendor in your usual store, the courier who delivered your last parcel, or the sweeper who keeps your street clean may have cried out today’s responsorial psalm? These are the people who we most likely encounter every day. How about those who struggle but are less visible to us? These include, for instance, the rural poor such as farmers and fishers who ensure we have food in the table, despite their own families’ hunger, the informal settler families who often serve our food in restaurants or provide services to us in stores and yet have to fight for their right to housing, and those who remain displaced by war, conflict, and natural disasters in their homelands.
At a time when the prices of basic goods and unemployment keep rising and with the threat of COVID-19 continuously peeking through our windows, we tend to focus only on our needs and concerns. While this focus is reasonable, we are called as Christians to be attentive to the cries of the poor. Listening to the cries of the poor leads us into a relationship with those at the margins so we all become instruments of liberation. This Sunday, we are invited to bridge the gap between ourselves and our marginalized brothers and sisters.
Today’s Gospel draws our attention to the centrality of responding to the cries of the poor and marginalized in Christ’s mission. When John sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the “one who is to come,” Jesus replies, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Matthew 11:4-5). We need to take a deeper look at the blind, the lame, the lepers, the deaf, the dead, and the poor. Who are they today? Do we recognize those who are blind to the truth, the lame pushed to the margins of our development, the deaf deprived of participation in governance, the dead left with no hope, and the poor left to fill their own hunger?
As followers of Christ, we are tasked to know them, name them, and be with them. How can we continue the works of Christ if they remain alien to us? Pope Francis points out in Evangelii Gaudium #187: “Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society. This demands that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid.” If John’s disciples are here with us today, what are they seeing and hearing that Christians do?
Reflect and name a “poor” brother/ sister you personally know. Why do you consider him/her poor? Can you think of the situations when he/she cried, “Lord, come and save us.”?
Think about the other people who experience the same poverty of that brother/sister whom you named. What can you concretely do for them?
As the coming of Christ nears, a concrete manifestation of God’s love to all of us as one humanity, what sustainable changes in your life can you commit to close the gap between you and your marginalized brothers and sisters?