December 11, 2025, Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
Lectionary: #184, Matthew 11: 11-15
Scripture
Jesus said to the crowds: “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. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Reflection
Prophecy is not easy on the prophets. They are possessed by a truth that must be said loud and clear. This truth is unpleasant to most ears, and the prophet will probably pay for his prophecy with his life. If he is not killed, he will be thoroughly stripped of all credit and good reputation and finally assassinated by laughter. But true prophets love too much to die. The words they pronounce are not really their own. They are riven with truth, and the truth in them will not expire.
We have seen prophets today in the Gandhis, the Berrigans, the Kings, the Sakharovs, the Romeros, and that brave man who stood before a tank at Tiananmen Square. No sane person will ever assume the role of prophet. Prophecy is a grace and a terrifying vocation.
John the Baptizer was not only speaking out for a cause. He was announcing a whole new way of relating to God and to life. He was announcing a Person. But now, in these lines, the Person, Jesus, was proclaiming John the Baptist. He was saying that because he was announcing the Messiah, “history has not known a man born of woman greater than John the Baptist.” There is a new greatness in the land, which is not built on accomplishment or reputation, genius or bloodline. The new greatness consists in belonging to the Kingdom, belonging to the Person of Christ that John the Baptist is announcing. This greatness is the one shared with the Messiah when one belongs to him.
John the Baptist is the new Elijah spoken of in this reading. The person of Elijah has not returned, but John plays the role that Elijah played in the Old Testament. He announces the Day of the Lord, when He will come in power, “Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”
Who would have suspected that the gentle young woman who became the mother of Jesus at Bethlehem and who remained in obscurity throughout almost the entire New Testament would now inherit the role of prophet. That calling seemed to be natural for her, who loved the people for whom her Son had died.
This time, at La Salette, she came to speak to her people about the arm of her Son and urged them to conversion. The sweet mother of the classical paintings and the icons could say things such as “In winter… they go to Mass just to make fun of religion. In Lent, they go to the butcher shops like dogs.”
It is part of the prophet’s calling to suffer, and she did. It is part of the prophet’s duty to convey to people the unpleasant truths that will transform their lives. Prophets speak, and they demand to be heard. Reconciliation starts with a person in the middle. At La Salette, it is Mary, the Queen of Prophets.
La Salette Invocation
Our Lady of La Salette, reconciler of sinners,
pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to you.
