DAILY HOMILIES #John the Baptist

Have I been praying for something for so long that I now fail to realize that God has already answered my prayer? What is it that I am looking down upon now that I ought to be grateful for?

There would be moments of pain we cannot escape, tears we must cry, losses we must make, and deaths we must die. These are planting seasons. They must come and they must go. If the farmer eats all his seed and fails to “sacrifice” some for planting, there would be nothing to eat in the next season. Thank God for your adversity. Whatever it is that you are going through right now is working for your good. (Cf. Romans 8:28)

Jesus is God in the midst of people. We have no reason to doubt that Jesus is the Promised Messiah. Every single prophecy about Jesus came to pass; even those that were made thousands of years before he was born. We do not need any further proof. Jesus is Truly God.

The feeling of regret or better put, emptiness is what comes to us when we realize our past actions were mere acts of foolishness, especially those spurred by vain ambitions.

Herod was obviously not thinking straight when he promised even half his kingdom to a little girl. What if she had asked for his own head? Think before you speak. Be a master of your emotions. In moments of anger, hold it. In moments of excitement, hold it also.

In our society today, there are too many Herods who believe they can do anything, take any woman or man they want, tell any lie; steal any amount they so wish; and nobody, not even the Supreme Court can stop them. No matter the level of persecution we may have to face, let us remember that a greater judgment awaits us if we keep quiet and fail to speak the truth that God has put in our hearts.

Names are not merely means of identification; names are spiritual. A person’s name can affect his or her life. Our Gospel passage today is a record of the naming ceremony of John the Baptist. The people were planning to call him Zechariah after his father or “Junior” because they felt he would re-live his father’s life. But Elizabeth and Zechariah knew that this child had a destiny different from that of his father so they both opted for “John” instead.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us join Zechariah to sing songs of thanksgiving to God, let us join David to express thanks to God for all that God has done for us. In whatever way we can, let us end this year not on a note of complaining but on a note of thanksgiving. Let the song of Zechariah be our chorus.

There may a lot of things to complain about in your life, you may have a lot of reasons to be angry with God but remember that if you still have the power to speak, use your lips to praise God.

On the other hand, for Jesus to say that John the Baptist is not as great as the least person in heaven, clearly indicates that heaven is not an easy place. It means I must do my very best to live a good life. No wonder Jesus asserted in Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

Dear friends, if actions speak louder than words, we are called to examine for ourselves today what sort of things our actions are proclaiming about us?

Can we then say that John the Baptist is a reincarnation of Elijah? Certainly No. John the Baptist was completely different from Elijah, but with the kind of life he lived, he became a perfect representation of Elijah and helped to fulfill the prophecy about the return of Elijah.