III Sunday of Advent – A (December 15, 2013)
Gospel reading:
Matthew 11: 2-11
Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.
I can remember
elementary school yard antics that seemed to be geared at determining who was
number one or the strongest in the bunch.
One time, when I was probably ten years old, I remember my classmates
figuring out who was the toughest based on who had beaten who in fights during
recess. Not being one of the big guys in
my class, I looked on as a bystander, but understood the twisted logic that was
being used to determine the playground king.
Twisted, yes, both in the obsession to determine who was the toughest
and in the manner that violence and dominance were employed in the
process.
“Thank
God for the wisdom of our years and experience!,” we might think to
ourselves. It is easy to dismiss such
experiences as a lack of maturity. “I’ve
grown beyond that,” we might say. Still,
in moments of spiritual honesty, a question can surge forth from the depths of
our soul: Have we really grown beyond that?
The race to determine who is the first, strongest, richest, most famous,
etc., etc., can be more the obsession of the adult world than the school
playground. Consider the next time we
are behind the wheel of a car, are we “king or queen of the road” or exemplars
of courtesy?
Jesus
seems to turn on their head our conventions to determine who is the greatest
among us. He clearly recognizes the
“greatness” of the prophet John the Baptist as a well-demonstrated honor that,
indeed, was a gift from God as well as fidelity to a divine mission. “Amen, I say to you, among those born of
women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; ….” Not so fast, the Lord seems to say as he
finishes out the statement with a catch:
“… yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Just
when we think we have security in worldly systems and hierarchies that value
power and wealth, Jesus reminds us that such things are illusory and often end
in conflict. In such systems and
mind-sets, only the few can enjoy what is most revered or obsessed over. Some will be happy, for a while at least,
while vast numbers will be sad or downtrodden.
The world says, “Only a few can have or attain
it.” Jesus says, “I came so that they
might have life and have it more abundantly.”
His gift of salvation and new life is not for a select few, but offered
to all.
John
the Baptist was great because he placed his life at the service of something
much greater. The prophet knew God’s
promise of salvation was coming and he wanted to make sure as many people as
possible knew the Good News and were prepared to receive it. His joy was not in being great, but in
seeing many receive new life through repentance and forgiveness.
The
kingdom of heaven does not seek “great” people, but offers to all a great gift:
God’s mercy in abundance, if only we are willing to stoop down to the level of
Jesus who became human and humble and reach up to the potential that he urges
us on to.
