Friends,
in today’s Gospel John the Baptist identifies himself as "the voice of
one crying out in the desert." How often the great heroes of the
Biblical revelation have to spend time in the desert: Abraham, Moses,
John the Baptist, Paul. Even Jesus himself spends forty days and nights
in the desert before commencing his ministry.
They
have to wait through a painful time, living a stripped-down life,
before they are ready. What does the desert symbolize? Confrontation
with one’s own sin; seeing one’s dark side; a deep realization of one’s
dependency upon God; an ordering of the priorities of one’s life; a
simplification, a getting back to basics. It means any and all of these
things.
But
the bottom line is that they are compelled to wait, during a time and
in a place where very little life seems to be on offer. But it is
precisely in such deserts that the flowers bloom.
Moses becomes a great leader; Abraham is the father of many nations;
Joseph becomes the savior of his people; John the Baptist is the
forerunner of the Messiah; Paul is the Apostle to the Gentiles—all of
this flowering was made possible by the desert.
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Lectionary: 205
Beloved:
Who is the liar?
Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ.
Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist.
Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father,
but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you.
If what you heard from the beginning remains in you,
then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.
And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life.
I write you these things about those who would deceive you.
As for you,
the anointing that you received from him remains in you,
so that you do not need anyone to teach you.
But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false;
just as it taught you, remain in him.
And now, children, remain in him,
so that when he appears we may have confidence
and not be put to shame by him at his coming.
This is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him, "Who are you?"
He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,
"I am not the Christ."
So they asked him,
"What are you then? Are you Elijah?"
And he said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
So they said to him,
"Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?"
He said:
"I am
the voice of one crying out in the desert,
'Make straight the way of the Lord,'as Isaiah the prophet said."
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
"Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"
John answered them,
"I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
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