December 15, 2017

Gospel: Mt 11:16-19
Now, to what can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain: ‘We played the flute for you, but you would not dance. We sang a funeral song, but you would not cry!‘
For John came fasting, and people said, ‘He is possessed by a demon!‘ Then, the Son of Man came. He ate and drank; and people said, ‘Look at this man: a glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!‘ Yet, wisdom is vindicated by her works.“

REFLECTION:
When I was a seminarian, idealistic as I was, I had harsh comments to some priests. Now that I am a priest, I am eating my own words, and having a dose of my own medicine. It is not easy to be a priest, and more, to be a good one. I realize that experience is the best teacher.
Jesus in our gospel describes the people of his time, pointing at their failure to respond accordingly to what He is offering. They did not see the message and purpose of John the Baptist, branding him as a demon-possessed. They too regarded Jesus as a glutton and a drunkard. They were always negative to Jesus. Our situation, this modern time, is not very far from the generations of John and Jesus. Today‘s generations are indifferent to what God is presenting–the fullness of life and salvation. In this season of Advent, let us pray that God may open our eyes to see beyond what meets the eye, to see the signs of times and to love every person that comes our way.