January 2, Monday of the Christmas Week
Daily readings: 1st John 2: 22-28; Gospel: John 1: 19-28
When asked by others “Who are you?” John the Baptist was at the peak of popularity and thus it was an opportunity for him to present himself as a great prophet or even the Messiah Himself. But John replied with a simple answer, “I am the voice of the one crying out in the desert”.
John the Baptist has a clear awareness of himself. Awareness of his identity as the ‘Voice of Messiah’ and his mission as ‘Messenger of Messiah’ derives from his awareness of Jesus’ identity. He is fully aware of how he is related to Christ. John’s knowledge of Jesus’ identity is like a mirror for him to understand his own identity.
Because of this self-awareness, he is aware of what he should or shouldn’t say. Thus, he boldly tells that he is not Messiah, Elijah, or Prophet. He is only the ‘voice’ of Messiah
John’s mission is similar to the function of a spotlight which calls the attention of spectators to objects or persons. He calls the attention of people around him to the Lamb of God – Jesus.
John’s model is a reminder that if people humbly pursue Jesus the Lord and Light, He would lead them right into great self-awareness and to great usefulness for His kingdom. Amen.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
