The people who witnessed this great miracle exclaimed, “A great prophet is risen up among us, and God has visited His people.”
This brings to fulfillment what was mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy, “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kindred; that is the one to whom you shall listen.”
It is important that we believe that Christ is God who has come to visit His people. As we are told only a few verses following our Gospel, “The disciples of John told him about all these things…and (he) sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
This question puts into perspective who the Lord is and why we should heed His call. The Lord is not just another prophet among many; He is even greater then John the Baptist. As is stated by the United States Council of Catholic Bishops from the article Jesus Christ: Priest, Prophet, and King, “Jesus is, then, Prophet. He is the envoy sent by the Father to bring men the Word of God; his teaching, therefore, has divine authority; the Father himself requires us to listen to the word of Jesus. But Christ is more than prophet; he is the Master, that is, he who teaches on his own authority.”
Therefore, Christ is able to go beyond what any of the prophets including Moses was able to do. An example of this was encountered two weeks ago in our Gospel when ten lepers came to be healed under His authority. Likewise, this week under His authority a dead man came to be raised.
We too must come to place our trust in the healing words which He speaks with His lips. The Lord is our refuge and is the one who brings life to us. This is not because He spoke nice words and made people happy, but because He is God among us who has taken on our human flesh in order that we may be redeemed.
As the Lord stated unto the disciples of John, “Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes. I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom scripture says: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare your way before you.”
The Lord continues to call each of us towards such conversion. From Saint John the Baptist’s call, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Through such conversion we continue to reorient our life unto Him. Belief in Him is something which is most serious because He is more then a feeling, a thought, or nice guy. Some use Him to propagate a message of tolerance and dismal of sin. Rather, in His own words, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Let our life be led entirely unto Him for truly “a great prophet is risen up among us, and God has visited His people.”
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