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The choice of Malachi for today's first reading is specially significant. For today's Gospel celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, the first prophet to appear in Israel since the days of Malachi in the fifth century before the birth of Jesus. Malachi's prophecy is the last book of the Old Testament, signifying that he was the last of the prophets. After him, prophecy was absent from Israel for some four hundred years. It did not require "foreknowledge" on the part of Malachi for him to aver that God would send a messenger to prepare the way before him. So much of the Old Testament returns sooner or later to the promise of God's Messiah, and the great prophet, Second Isaiah, had already spoken of one called to prepare the way of the Lord. Malachi was doing little more than affirming once again God's fidelity to all the divine promises. However he has the added insight that the presence of God, whether in his messenger or in his eventual Messiah, would be a purifying and sanctifying presence. The grace of the divine presence in the New Covenant era will be truly like a refining fire, a theme taken up in the preaching of John the Baptist, Malachi's successor in the line of the Prophets. Come Immanuel, and save us. |
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P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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That the celebration of the Jubilee may become the source of a new commitment in men and women of good will to protect and promote human life.
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In the threshold of the year 2001, it is our duty to renew our commitment to safeguarding the dignity of the poor and marginalised and to recognise in a practical way the rights of those who have no rights. This is the spirit of the new millennium which presupposes the following: The basic right to life which is inviolable which involves a positive choice for life. The development of a culture of this kind embraces all the circumstances of life and ensures the promotion of human dignity in every situation. Recent developments in the field of genetic engineering present a profoundly disquieting challenge. In order that scientific research in this area may be at the service of the person, it must be accompanied at every stage by careful ethical reflection, which will bring about adequate legal norms safeguarding the integrity of human life. Life can never be downgraded to the level of a thing. To choose life involves rejecting every form of violence. In every circumstance, the right to life must be promoted and safeguarded with appropriate legal and political guarantees. Let us raise our voices on their behalf. | |
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