SENT ON GOD’S MISSION
Introduction
People chosen by God for a special mission in his plan of
salvation are constantly presented in the Bible as chosen and loved before
birth, with their birth announced in a special way; they are moved by the
Spirit of God; their mission demands sacrifices. Witness the call of Samson in
his folkloric saga, or that of John the Baptist. The silence of Zechariah comes
probably from the joy of an overwhelming message, too great to be put into
words. Underlying these vocation stories is that people are weak, that
salvation is gratuitously given by God, that barrenness (the barren women)
gives way to fertility, that sacrifices are demanded. And so, people are to be
moved by the Spirit of God. All this holds true also for us as we are called to
prepare the way of the Lord.