GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 4TH JANUARY 2017
WEDNESDAY – CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY
FIRST READING: 1John 3:7-10
PSALM: Psalm 98:1, 7-9
GOSPEL: John 1:35-42
THEME: IT’S ABOUT JESUS
Doing good business in the 21st Century is almost impossible without some form of advertisement. One shrewd quote reads, “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does.” There is another thought-provoking quote on advertisement which throws light on today’s reflection. It reads, “A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.”
John the Baptist was a good advertiser. His ministry in Bethany beyond the Jordan river flourished so well that it attracted the attention of “journalists” who came to interview him – priests and Levites from Jerusalem (cf. John 1:19). Many got attracted to his teaching and way of life and some chose to become his disciples. One of such persons was Andrew.
John the Baptist, however, never lost sight of the one he came to promote. He kept telling his disciples and audience, “He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me…I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie… After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me…I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (Jn. 1:15,26,27,30,33).
In today’s Gospel text, as John the Baptist stood with two of disciples, the one he had spoken about passed by and he said, “”Behold, the Lamb of God!” (Jn. 1:36). With that the two disciples followed Jesus.
In the person of John the Baptist, we see a man who was self-effacing. His ministry was not about himself; it was about Jesus. He was not an attention-seeker and even if he sought attention it was because he wanted to direct attention to Jesus.
Christianity in the first three centuries grew rapidly, in spite of persecutions, because there were many selfless Christians who were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel. On the contrary, some churches in the 21st century are gradually dying because they have become inns for self-centered people who are concerned about so many things except Jesus Christ. These are places where top on the agenda is money and how to put up this project and that project. Issues of direct and explicit proclamation of Jesus hardly surfaces on the agenda for discussion and even if it does, it is the last point on “Any other business”.
John the Baptist never lost focus. He declared to his audience and disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God”. Now is our time to boldly announce to the world that Jesus Christ saves.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, give me a heart and a face that would not be ashamed to tell others about you. May all that I do and say declare that you are the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).