“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”

“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.