Monday of the Fourth
Week of Advent
(Malachi 3:1-4.23-24; Luke 1:57-66)
Whatever Malachi had in mind when he wrote that God will send
Elijah to “turn the hearts of the father to their children,” we should hear him
today as addressing the social pathologies of children born outside
marriage. More than forty percent of the
births in the United States today are made to unwed mothers. As a result the children are more likely to
suffer poverty, emotional problems, and learning difficulties. Nevertheless, having children without a vowed
partner has become fashionable with highly paid professionals testifying to how
satisfying it is.
We understand Malachi as foretelling the coming of the John
the Baptist who would castigate sex out of marriage as he did other sins. He would find multiple victims of the
abuse. The unintended offspring may be
the most aggrieved, but certainly the individuals directly involved are not
left unscathed, and society – like a cable whose individual strands are being
severed -- is weakened. God, who loves
His people immensely, cannot help but take offense.
God also acts to relieve the situation. First, He sends John to warn sinners of the harm
they cause themselves as well as others.
Then, He gives us Jesus who, abounding in joy, shows us that the way to
eternal life follows a path of care for others.
