Sunday, December 16 Advent Reflection

Everyone knows Christmas is a time to share gifts. But why? We share gifts as a way to acknowledge with gratitude the gift God gives us in His Son, Jesus. So, during this third week of Advent, we’re focusing on sharing gifts as a way to participate in God’s generosity.

This line from Isaiah is ancient — it was written 700 years before Jesus was born. Yet, when Jesus began his public ministry, he chose this passage to proclaim as a sort of mission statement. He is telling us that this is what his life will be about: bringing glad tidings to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. In other words, he came to change things, especially for those who live on the margins.

If you’ve been baptized, you share this mission. The “Christ” part of Jesus’ name is a title that means “anointed,” and every baptism includes a similar anointing — through baptism, we are given the same Spirit Jesus received. This also means that we’re given the same mission.

Is there someone who needs good news in your community? What is a word or action that might bring to them “glad tidings”?