“As
long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down
on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you
cannot see something that is above you.”
- C.S. Lewis
(Gospel Text: Jn 1:19-28)
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.
We
begin this new year with the question: "Who are you?" (Jn 1:19).
This is a good question. How can we be
what the Lord wants us to be this year unless we know who we are? However, the
question of our identity is most difficult. The first voice says we are God's
children (see Mt 3:17; Jn 1:12; 1 Jn 3:2). Another voice says we are merely
human, in fact, just sophisticated animals. If we accept this, we can
"eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die" (see Wis 2:6ff; 1 Cor
15:32). Although this second voice puts us down and degrades us, we feel like
believing it and leading a self-indulgent life.
To answer the question, "Who are
you?", we must answer the questions:
"Who are the voices in my life?" and "Who is the liar?" (1
Jn 2:22).
Here is a hint, the first voice is the
Truth (Jn 14:6).
Know
yourself. Know God.
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