JANUARY 02, 2012
Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Reading 1: 1 John 2: 22-28
Psalm: Ps 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4
Gospel: John 1: 19-28
The sinister works of John the Baptist immediately caught the attention of those who were in “the authority” in Jerusalem. It was all natural for the Jews to be concerned then, because it involved questions regarding their very identity as believers (For the Jews, question like the arrival of the Messiah is still very much anticipated until today). The Jews had been waiting for too long for the coming of their “Messiah” and through John, an alarm has been set. It is indeed a sense of warning for those who were in doubt then because the voice of John seemed to be a threat, a threat that even those who were in the ecclesiastical community at Jerusalem send their experts and scrutinized him.
His works then was considered sinister in nature because it was not approved by those who are in “power.” A sense of approval would make his works easy yet he boldly admitted that he was not a prophet but simply a mere “voice of one crying out of the desert.” As the one who prepares the way; the path towards the arrival of the anticipated One, John had reminded them to change because they will never understand the simplicity, the humility of the coming of their “Christ,” a Messiah that will not be involved politically but can still liberate believers from the bondage of ignorance and sin.
John believes that the people of his time must make an internal and external preparation for them to acknowledge the arrival of the One greater than he is, the One whose sandal strap he is not worthy to untie. The tune has been set and those who believed in the message of John the Baptist changed their ways and joyfully anticipated the coming of their Savior.
Reflection Questions:
1. How do we prepare for the coming of our “Christ”?
2. What are those attitudes and things that we need to changee in order to be free when we welcome our Savior?
MR. PERRE IAN T. DELA CRUZ
Faculty, SLA Department
