Messiah.” And they asked him, “Then who are you? Elijah?” He answered, “I am not.” They said,
“Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Tell us who you are, so
that we can give some answer to those who sent us. How do you see yourself?” And John said,
quoting the prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the
way of the Lord!” Those who had been sent were Pharisees; and they put a further question to
John, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” John
answered, “I baptize you with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know; although
he comes after me, I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.” This happened in Bethabara
beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Reflect
"Let there be peace on earth..." We welcome another year in our journey of faith. While
celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Catholic Church also celebrates the
World Day of Peace, an annual celebration that started in 1968. The establishment of universal
peace is part and parcel of the mission of the Church. We begin our yearly journey of faith as we
read and reflect on the biblical sense of peace, shalom, which is not merely the absence of conflict
but one which refers to the fullness of life. This is what the Aaronic Blessing or Priestly Benediction
found in Numbers 6:24-26 conveys. When this shalom is given us, the Lord’s favor is turned toward
us, blessing and keeping us now and for the rest of the year. We are being blessed and kept by
the Lord so that we may also be, like Mary, the bearer of his Son in our world that up to now longs
for true peace. Today we ask the Lord that this whole 2024 will be replete with his shalom, and that
we may become the very instruments of his peace. “Let there be peace on earth,” as the song goes,
“and let it begin with me.”
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024