We can hear the readings and gospel today and allow ourselves to fall into the routine of thinking, oh yea, that reading, heard that one… Doesn’t really mean anything to me or doesn’t really make sense to me.
Some of us might wonder why we are hearing Paul’s letter of introduction to a people and place we know little about.
“What is in it for us today, in Austin.”
And what about John the Baptist going on and on about how he did not know Jesus..his cousin…how does that make sense.
If this sounds a little bit like your own inner voice, I can assure you, you’re not alone.
And Paul, Paul’s introduction to his letter to the Corinthians on the surface may seem a bit dry. But maybe it would be more interesting like this:
“Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to St Theresa Catholic church of God that is in Austin, Texas.
To you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
!Now that sounds better doesn’t it!!
If Paul had addressed us, here in Austin, to tell us, the good news, to address us as people of God, that would have kept us awake this evening, yes?
But we are the body of Christ and we are called to be holy though our own baptism? We should hear this introduction and realize he is talking to us.
And what about John the Baptist going on about how he did not know Jesus.
We know that John and Jesus, were cousins. It was John’s mother Elizabeth that Mary went to visit when she learned Elizabeth was with child at such an old age.
So when Jesus comes toward John and John identifies Jesus for what sounds like the first time, we can get confused and tune out and turn off …but don’t… not yet.
There’s an important message here for us.
Whether John knew Jesus or knew of him, John’s proclamation of who Jesus is, is not about mere recognition, but about understanding the deeper reality of Jesus as the anointed one, the Messiah of God.
It was John the Baptist’s “aha” moment as he admits twice in this short passage, “I did not know him.” …It’s only after John sees the Spirit descend and rest upon Jesus that he realizes who Jesus really is.
And there is something for us to learn here.
The path that John took from recognizing Jesus as only a mere man, maybe a prophet, to recognizing Jesus as the Messiah who came to take away the sin of the world… was the journey that we must also take.
In fact, John’s aha moment mirrors our own journey as we develop our relationship with God. Let me offer an example,
It is always fascinating when we first meet someone. At first everyone is trying to be their best and putting on their best manners and trying to be accommodating and friendly.
If we meet them again and again, we begin to learn more about them, what they like, what their opinions are, what they do for work, about their family perhaps. This continues until we think we know the person pretty well.
But we really don’t, not yet.
It isn’t until we spend even more time with them that we have the opportunity to get to know the real person within, not only their successes but failures, not only likes but fears, to move beyond the first image we were introduced to. An openness and risk taking is required from both people. But it is only then that we can really understand the person’s inner self. Their real nature.
It is this knowing the other person’s nature that makes marriages and friendships, relationships based on truth and openness. It is also these relationships that the Holy Spirit can enter and guide.
Beginning a relationship whether it is with others or with God through Baptism is a gift and both are entry points to something greater. What happens next is up to us.
Like all relationships, when we are given the graces of baptism we are also given the opportunity to move beyond an initial knowledge of Jesus, to know him better, to move beyond just being someone who is a going-through-the-motions, functional Christian.
After Baptism we are like John, in that we have a good relationship started but some understanding of the other person is missing. If we really do not know Jesus, we will never become a lamp that lights the way for others by pointing to Him in the world, and like John we are called to point to Jesus by our Baptism.
For us, baptism and accepting the gift of Faith is only the start. We must take it and nurture it and develop a closeness and intimacy with God through the honesty of the confessional,
through the sacrifice of part of our day and mind for prayer,
through the humility of admitting to ourselves, that like John also admitted, we are not the messiah, we are not the one in charge, but we are children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus and sons and daughters of Mary.
When John said, “I did not know him but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” …he was following God’s will by preparing the way for Jesus ….but until the intervention of the Spirit, he still didn’t recognize who Jesus really was. We might be missing who Jesus really is too and what He means to us and what he wants for us.
It is only with the Holy Spirit within us that we are able to grow in our relationship with God, grow the gift of faith that we receive which allows us to live within God’s grace.
But like all relationships an action and commitment from us is also required. Even now, after many years of being baptized we still need to keep the Holy Spirit in our hearts by ensuring we guard against sin and temptation. For if we are holding on to sin the Holy Spirit cannot reside within us.
If we are to know Jesus, really know Jesus, we must respond by developing a deeper relationship by spending time with Him in spiritual conversation and reflection. Prayer …not just in the morning or evening but all day especially at times when temptation challenges us.
It is only by rejecting sin and embracing our faith that we can tune out the temptations of this world and receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit…
The gift of wisdom to love spiritual things more than material ones, understanding and prudence so we are not confused by the conflicting messages of our culture about the right way to live, fortitude- to be able to have the courage to take risks as a follower of Christ, knowledge of the real purpose of our life and how to live it and reverence and fear of God so we grow in respect for God, recognizing our total reliance on God.
Folks, we know who we are, we are children of God, Holy and Sanctified. Remember Paul’s message;
“To you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”
We are called to be holy and sanctified!
Are we feeling holy and sanctified? Are we feeling the joy of having the Holy Spirit guide our lives?
If not, is it because we forgot who we are? Have we failed to evict sin from our heart and make a place for the Holy Spirit within us? Have we forgotten that we are to be pointers to Christ?
John finally understood who Jesus was by recognizing the Holy Spirit descending on him.
In our spiritual journey toward God it is important for us to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit too. In fact, it is impossible for us to grow closer to God and our understanding of him without the presence and action of the Holy Spirit.
How will we know when we are on the right path?
We can recognize the Holy Spirit working in us because we will be able to let go of our fears and allow the love of God to grow in our lives. We will grow in wisdom, fortitude, understanding and love of God.
It is then that we become more than going-through-the-motions Christians doing only what we are supposed to do; we become living channels of God’s grace, pointing to Jesus Christ.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. †
Deacon Tony Pynes 