Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen,
Bishops - John 1:19-28
The reading today shifts the focus
from Jesus to John the Baptist. Today John is being questioned by some of the
priests and Levites. They come and ask him: “Who are you?” John bluntly tells
them that he is not the Christ. Immediately the priests and Levites then
ask him to tell them who he is. They ask if he is Elijah; or is he “the One who
is to come.”
John clearly tells them that his
role and mission is to prepare the way for the Christ. However the priests are
not satisfied with John’s response and they continue to bombard John with
questions. Finally John states: “I am the voice that is voice crying out
in the desert.” John clearly knew and understood his role in the unfolding of
God’s plan. John knew that he was not the “One who is to come.” However, he
also understood that he would play a part in the drama that would unfold.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we
clearly knew what our part is to play in the drama of life? At times in our
lives, it is clear what our call and responsibility is. At other times, we may
not have any clarity about our role. At these times, I assume that most of us
simply keep on going and do what we need to do.
The challenge may be for us to
trust that we are doing God’s will simply by striving to be women and men who
strive to love others and work for justice in our world. Our efforts may seem
small in the bigger scheme of life; however, small acts of love, kindness, and
generosity are great gifts that are needed every day in our world. We
simply have to trust that God is at work in us; and God is working
through us in the many acts of kindness and live we may do each day. We may not
be a star. However, each and every one of us has the ability to shine
light on our world! May we do so every day!
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