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IN
THIS ISSUE:
Cover
Story
From
the Head Servant
By Bro.
Pete Lapid
The
Father Speaks
By Fr.
S. Binzler, SJ
Our
Faith
By Fr.
KJ Veeger, MSC
Place
of Refuge
By
Philip Yuson
Here's
the Latest
By
Tintin Magbitang
Reflection
By Fr.
Florianus Wudjon, PR
Sharing
By
Nenette Dizon
By
Armand Sol
Saint
for the Month
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REFLECTION
 
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- Gospel According to Matthew
11: 2-11
John
the Baptist is really a great man.
He is great not because of power or richness, but because of
his whole life and his role in preparing for the coming of the Lord.
He prepared for the coming of the Lord by asking the people of
God to repent. "Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand!," he said by the Jordan
River. His voices
echoed loud and clear until lots of people came to ask for baptism as
a symbol of their conversion.
Repentance
for John does not end after baptism, but should be applied to our own
life. This is why he
always reminded people to bear good fruit as evidence of their
repentance. “Do not presume that you will be saved because you have Abraham as
your father,” he said to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to
him. He himself fully understood repentance like a man who depended on
the mercy of God. So he
chose a simple life and went wherever God led him.
He
is really a great man. He
is great not because of pride but because of his humility.
He is glad to decrease so that God’s glory will increase.
When people asked whether John might be the Messiah they were
waiting for He clearly
answered, “I am not the Messiah. I
am just a voice shouting in the desert preparing the Lord’s
coming.” Then Jesus
came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent Him, saying,
"I need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to
me?"
He
is really a great man. Not
because he wants to go with someone of authority from whom he will
benefit, but because he sided with the truth -- God Himself.
This is what he was doing, until he was killed on the order of
King Herod. He was not
afraid to speak the truth and curse sin.
He bravely criticized King Herod who took the wife of his brother. As a
result, John was thrown into prison and beheaded.
Yes,
he is really a great man. Great
not because of his own success, but great because he prepared the way
of the Lord. He chose to
decrease so that God will increase.
When he was preaching and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
"Behold, the Lamb of
God." Then his
disciples left him and followed Jesus.
As
a teacher who upholds human freedom he did not force his disciples to
follow Jesus just like that, rather he requested them to ask Jesus
themselves if Jesus is really the Messiah who was to come.
It is clear that John already knew that Jesus is the one whom
they were waiting for. But
for the assurance of his disciples, he requested them to ask Jesus
directly. After confirming that it was clear and without doubt, many of
his disciples followed Jesus and left him.
That
is why Jesus praised him, “Among
those born of women there has been none greater than John the
Baptist.” He is
really a great man. He
was born because of the love of God. He worked for the glory of God,
and he died because of his belief in
God’s truth. And now he
is one with God, his lifetime desire.
Today
we are invited to reflect on John the Baptist as a great man.
Not only to understand his greatness but to imitate his
example. I hope that with
John the Baptist’s enthusiasm and values he has fought for
as our model, will be worthy to welcome God in this Christmas
celebration.
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