One of the things I enjoy doing is catching up with relatives and friends I have not talked with or seen for several years. If for no other reason, it gives me hope that our dysfunctional family is no worse than theirs. But the real purpose is to discover how they are coping with changes in life that happen for a multitude of reasons.
For instance, we have relatives and friends who live in all four time zones of the continental United States. Weather differences alone give us a topic we can discuss in length because it affects how we do or not do things outside for enjoyment or for doing projects. But the most important areas of life which bring us together concern physical, mental and spiritual health.
The older we get the more ailments we seem to suffer. Some are more of an annoyance versus life changing which can affect our very survival on earth. Depending on our perspective, we can describe them in terms that give us comfort or as a complaint that life is filled more with problems. Our readings and Gospel today address these concerns but as an invitation to service, holiness and honor.
In Chapter 49 of the Book of Isaiah, an anonymous disciple of the prophet writes messianic oracles about God calling out to Isaiah in the second of the four oracles on being a Servant of the Lord. This happened at the end of the Babylonian exile and relates to the captives release for return to Israel. In his efforts to write about the need to reach out to all, he writes about the mysterious destiny of suffering and glorification is fulfilled by someone handpicked by the as we see in the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.
St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians he writes about how they responded to the call for being holy. He also reminds them that they belong to a much larger community of faith to whom they need to acknowledge and serve.
It is in St. John’s Gospel that we see service, holiness and honor as a mainstay of Baptism, especially as brought to life in the story of Jesus’ Baptism by St. John the Baptist. Praised by Jesus as the greatest prophet (Mt. 11:9-11) who ever lived, it seems strange that His cousin (though not noted in this Gospel) says: I did not know Him.”
What he did know, however, is that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and is the Son of God who also is the world’s Savior. How they are related is a prophetic reality that illustrates how those who practice holiness will honor God through being in service to those in need.
Jesus, in so many words, caught up with His cousin John by honoring him as His precursor to the Savior of the world by allowing him to baptize Him, not because He needed to be, but to illustrate His unity with and love for us. In doing so, He verified for all of John’s followers that he indeed is someone who needs to be honored because he is practicing holiness through his service of Baptism for repentance of sins.
Today is a good reminder of our Baptism of what we promised, either as a child through our parents and godparents or as possibly an adult through the R.C.I.A. program that we will remain faithful to God by loving Him and all He has created as Jesus loves us. To do this, we need to honor God by practicing holiness though living a sacramental life and reaching out to all in need. Wouldn’t that be a great response when we are catching up with others to explain how we cope with changes in life through God’s help? His promise of everlasting life allows us to practice our faith in thoughts, words and deeds so we can honor Him in holiness and service as the center of our life.
Reading 1: Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6
Reading 2: First Corinthians 1: 1-3
Gospel: John 1: 29-34
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