Gospel: Matthew 11:11-15
(Jesus said to the crowds) Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there
has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of
heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the
Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All
the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are
willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought
to hear.
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Reflection:
What does John the Baptist brings to us? It’s
his witness for Jesus and His teachings until the end. Like the Prophets before
him, John gave his life so that evil would not triumph over good. In essence it
was the devil against God. John chose God over the devil, John chose
righteousness over evil and immorality.
For these reasons Jesus hailed John as the
greatest amongst the prophets, yet Jesus tells us also that the least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than John. Who is greater than John the Baptist? It’s
Jesus Himself! Jesus came into this world not with power and might. Like John,
Jesus was born into this world bereft of worldly opulence.
Somehow the gospel communicates to us that for
us to become great in the eyes of Jesus we have to emulate John. His humble
witness for Jesus, his uncompromising stand against evil and so forth. We must
not forget also that Jesus is challenging us also to become the least in the eyes
of the people of this world.
It
means that we must not crave for money, power or anything that this fleeting
world will offer us. Nevertheless even without these worldly things we will
strive to continue to make a positive difference in the lives of our fellowmen.
For this is the life of Jesus when He walked on this earth.
Could we emulate the life of John? Are we
capable of shunning the trappings of this world and still make a positive
difference in the lives of our fellowmen just what Jesus did? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
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