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Commentary on the Gospel – December 15, 2025
In the Gospel passages proclaimed at Mass, we frequently find Jesus praising the Father for the faith of the simple and the poor—those who accept His word, meaning they accept Him as the Messiah and Lord.
However, in today’s reading, what we hear is a sharp and biting response to those questioning His authority. It is an answer that unsettles His questioners because it unveils their arrogance and hypocrisy. They believe they have authority simply because they consider themselves superior and wise. And, in a worldly sense, they are. Let’s say they are the “elite” among the Jews. The Temple priests, rabbis, and scribes know the Sacred Law, but they also know political intrigues and the levers of power. Yet, they are unable to explain where they stand regarding John the Baptist, who was beheaded by Herod. The answer is just too compromising for them.
The point goes to Jesus. He knows them better than they know themselves, and the result is the immediate silence of these inquisitors. The truth is, Jesus clearly had the upper hand in this debate—as it could not be otherwise.
First reflection: There is no doubt that the Lord knows our worries and questions even before we ask them. Surely, at some point, we have demanded explanations from Him. He does not reject us; He understands us perfectly. Who knows the depths of the human heart like Jesus? We have often prayed that prayer with the surprising opening: “My Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, my Creator, Father, and Redeemer…” This God we adore, Creator and Father, has come into our flesh and became man.
And a second reflection: When faced with things we do not understand, the only condition for God to restore our peace and give us strength is a humble and trusting attitude. That humble attitude—with which we accept His authority, His power, and His redeeming goodness—is the requirement for us to accept His answer, His apparent silence, and even the suffering we sometimes experience. It is the key to waiting with hope to know Him and see His face shining with power and love: contemplating Him helpless in Bethlehem, in His life culminated on the Cross, and especially—”whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me”—in everyone who suffers by our side.