True greatness

Thursday,
December 15, 2016
3rd Week of Advent
1st Reading: Is 54:1-10
Gospel: Luke 7:24-30

When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began speaking to the people about John. And he said, “What did you want to see when you went to the desert? A tall reed blowing in the wind? What was there to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? But people who wear fine clothes and enjoy delicate food are found in palaces. What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. For John is the one foretold in Scripture in these words: I am sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare your ways. No one may be found greater than John among those born of women but, I tell you, the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

All the people listening to him, even the tax collectors, had acknowledged the will of God in receiving the baptism of John, whereas the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, in not letting themselves be baptized by him, ignored the will of God.

D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)

“No one may be found greater than John among those born of women”, Jesus declared. In a seeming contradiction of this declaration Jesus followed it up with this statement: “The least in the kingdom is greater than John the Baptist”. This takes the “least in the kingdom” to heights higher than what John had attained in God’s eyes.

They say that God works in reverse because he humbles those who are exalted and exalts those who are humbled. This isn’t really reversal if we look at things from God’s perspective. Those who think godly find it normal that humble people should be exalted. Those who think worldly find it a tragic reversal of fortune that the powerful should become nobody.

The first time I took an airplane I was mesmerized at how small really things are if seen from up in the sky. Those who never take off from the earth’s surface will expect to see things big. But from God’s perspective, things on earth are really small, including themselves. By analogy, those who never take off from themselves will always see themselves big. It is when we look at ourselves from God’s perspective that we realize we are really small. When this is settled, we become even greater than John the Baptist by operation of God’s merit system.

We don’t shun exaltation for eventual promotion. If the motive for humility is final exaltation, the heart is far from humble. We don’t think this is John’s brand of humility. He even gave up his head literally so that Christ would increase and he would decrease. If we could get any closer to this, we’d be great enough from the perspective of God. -(Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM., MAPM., MMExM., REB., Email:dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.

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