Jn 1:6-8, 19-28
Imagine traveling all the way into the desert just to hear and see John the Baptist, leaving behind all the comforts and safety of the city to do so. Like many in our Gospel today, Jn 1:6-8, 19-28, suppose you’ve heard that there’s something extraordinary about him. There’s a power and authority in his voice that hasn’t been heard for ages, causing people to suspect that the prophets of old have returned, if not something even greater.
What might you think when you got there, only to hear John say that he is neither the Christ nor Elijah nor a prophet? Perhaps: What a letdown? Disappointment? But one suspects that the deeper feelings would be curiosity, wonder and hope. Notice how none of the questioners in the Gospel today are able to walk away simply saying, “He is a nobody.” There was something compelling about John’s witness, his humility and authenticity that convinced his hearers. They were sucked in, hooked, and thus they demanded: “Yes, but who are you?” As if to say: “We know you have to be somebody, people who talk like that aren’t allowed to be nobody.”
There are two elements to John the Baptist’s authenticity that captivate even today. First, he is unabashed and refreshing in knowing he’s not the answer-man, the guru or even the savior. Think how rare it is in the world these days for someone with power, authority and a following to say, “I don’t have all the answers you’re looking for.” In the sovereign age of advertising, everyone always claims to have exactly what you need and what your heart really desires. Few people actually do. John isn’t selling anything, but his message is all the more gripping for it. Why?
This is because of the second element: John knew with a rock-solid certainty who the real savior was, and what his role was in light of Jesus. John knew that the savior was coming, where the savior could be found. And that clarity resonated. His hearers could feel that certainty in a way that was convincing.
Each of us can find a spiritual home with John the Baptist in this two-fold sense. Over and again, we need to return to the truth: God is God and we are not. There’s a lot of wisdom in that phrase. We can’t save the world, nor do we have all the answers. We’re not even close. Yet, like John, we do know the one who did save the world, and the one who not only has the answers, but is the answer himself. Simply put, our lives as Christians gain the same resonance and authority as John to the degree that we embody precisely what he did: “He (Jesus) must increase, I must decrease.” It starts with prayer, of course. But then it proceeds through our simple, authentic speech witnessing like John to the coming savior we know. A lot can be said for a simple, sincere invitation to come and meet the Lord.
A great way to do this during Advent, a gutsy way do this, is to invite a friend to Christmas Mass. Be John the Baptist, invite people to prepare the way of the Lord in their hearts this Christmas. If they say no, then be polite, leave them be and pray for them. At least you’ve tried. If they say yes, then you get to be their cheerful and honest host for Mass. Explain what you know, admit what you don’t, be ready and patient to answer questions or be welcoming. Join John the Baptist in pointing the way toward Christ Our Lord, letting the sincerity and humility of your relationship with Jesus prepare the highway.
Fr. Miserendino is chaplain at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.
Prepare the way
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Jn 1:6-8, 19-28
Imagine traveling all the way into the desert just to hear and see John the Baptist, leaving behind all the comforts and safety of the city to do so. Like many in our Gospel today, Jn 1:6-8, 19-28, suppose you’ve heard that there’s something extraordinary about him. There’s a power and authority in his voice that hasn’t been heard for ages, causing people to suspect that the prophets of old have returned, if not something even greater.
What might you think when you got there, only to hear John say that he is neither the Christ nor Elijah nor a prophet? Perhaps: What a letdown? Disappointment? But one suspects that the deeper feelings would be curiosity, wonder and hope. Notice how none of the questioners in the Gospel today are able to walk away simply saying, “He is a nobody.” There was something compelling about John’s witness, his humility and authenticity that convinced his hearers. They were sucked in, hooked, and thus they demanded: “Yes, but who are you?” As if to say: “We know you have to be somebody, people who talk like that aren’t allowed to be nobody.”
There are two elements to John the Baptist’s authenticity that captivate even today. First, he is unabashed and refreshing in knowing he’s not the answer-man, the guru or even the savior. Think how rare it is in the world these days for someone with power, authority and a following to say, “I don’t have all the answers you’re looking for.” In the sovereign age of advertising, everyone always claims to have exactly what you need and what your heart really desires. Few people actually do. John isn’t selling anything, but his message is all the more gripping for it. Why?
This is because of the second element: John knew with a rock-solid certainty who the real savior was, and what his role was in light of Jesus. John knew that the savior was coming, where the savior could be found. And that clarity resonated. His hearers could feel that certainty in a way that was convincing.
Each of us can find a spiritual home with John the Baptist in this two-fold sense. Over and again, we need to return to the truth: God is God and we are not. There’s a lot of wisdom in that phrase. We can’t save the world, nor do we have all the answers. We’re not even close. Yet, like John, we do know the one who did save the world, and the one who not only has the answers, but is the answer himself. Simply put, our lives as Christians gain the same resonance and authority as John to the degree that we embody precisely what he did: “He (Jesus) must increase, I must decrease.” It starts with prayer, of course. But then it proceeds through our simple, authentic speech witnessing like John to the coming savior we know. A lot can be said for a simple, sincere invitation to come and meet the Lord.
A great way to do this during Advent, a gutsy way do this, is to invite a friend to Christmas Mass. Be John the Baptist, invite people to prepare the way of the Lord in their hearts this Christmas. If they say no, then be polite, leave them be and pray for them. At least you’ve tried. If they say yes, then you get to be their cheerful and honest host for Mass. Explain what you know, admit what you don’t, be ready and patient to answer questions or be welcoming. Join John the Baptist in pointing the way toward Christ Our Lord, letting the sincerity and humility of your relationship with Jesus prepare the highway.
Fr. Miserendino is chaplain at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.
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