Homilía de Fr. Nelson Medina, O.P.

John the Baptist teaches us by way of example what having Christ at the center of your life truly means.

Homilía v033001b, predicada en 20151216, con 5 min. y 47 seg.

Transcripción:

Dear brothers and sisters, there are at least two explanations about why John the Baptist, who was in prison at that time, sent these two of his disciples to ask the Lord Jesus that question we just heard. One theory says that John the Baptist, being in such a miserable situation, was going through a kind of crisis. He had spent all his life, all his energy, all his talents in the service of God and announcing the coming of the Saviour. So, some say that he might be passing through a sort of crisis, asking bitterly himself who this Jesus was in all reality. If that is the case, he sent these two of his own disciples in order to clarify things and to reach a solid conclusion.

The second theory about this question is that John the Baptist was absolutely sure about Jesus, but his disciples were very close to him. Even in that dire condition, in that difficult time, John was already convinced that his own end was about to come, and he wanted that his disciples did not remain attached to him, but rather would go and know better about Jesus. In this second interpretation, John the Baptist was sort of donating his disciples to Jesus Christ.

I, myself, prefer this second interpretation. There are many signs in the gospel that John was completely sure about Jesus. You probably remembered that in the time of his ministry, baptizing people at the river of Jordan, he, John himself, told some of his disciples: «That is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world». And we also remember that John the Baptist, at other different times, said that it was necessary that Christ should increase in importance. On the contrary, speaking of himself, he said, it is necessary that I decrease. That sort of language tells us something about the deep conviction that John the Baptist had about the Messiah, about Jesus, our beloved Saviour.

So, I think that we should see the passage for today, taken from the gospel according to Luke, as a final gift, this is the final gift of John the Baptist for the Messiah. He, John the Baptist, who renounced everything, having his own family, having any possession, having any business in this world. He, who renounced everything, also was able, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was able of renouncing even that little possession, that consolation of a little friendship from those disciples. In some sense, John the Baptist shows the nothingness, the absolute gnosis, this is the word in Greek to express absolute renouncement, and that was the case with John the Baptist. He renounced everything because his own being, he felt, belonged entirely to the Lord.

Let us continue the celebration of this mass thanking God for this most beautiful example and asking the Holy Spirit that he increases in us the generosity through generosity, to give ourselves completely to the service of God, each one according to his or her own vocation. In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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