This week, Father Rick talk us about John the Baptist, a simple man that he has got a lot of things to teach us.
Hello. I´m Father Rick, here, at Ave Maria University. Let’s talk about John the Baptist who Jesus, himself, declared no man is greater than John the Baptist, that in itself means that this is a man we should look at a little more seriously. He was led into the desert spent, maybe years, in the desert, purifying his life and just letting himself be stripped of the non-essential.
The desert
The desert is a time of letting go and simplification to the at most, so that there’s nothing left, but God. And he so purifies his heart in the desert, that he’s able to come out and he’s able to recognize Jesus right away. Even though he had never met him. Jesus is coming toward him in today’s Gospel and he says behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. He sees Jesus with the eyes of his heart and he knows, and he’s more than just a human being, he says the same words that the priest says at Mass. Right the priest elevates the Eucharist and says behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. And we look and we see only a piece of bread with our physical eyes; but when we look with the eyes of heart, of our hearts, the eyes of prayer, that have been purified in prayer.
More than a piece of bread
We see that it is more than a piece of bread. It is truly Jesus Christ, fully present waiting to come into us and make us whole. John the Baptist also had an amazing talent to decrease when the time was right. To step away from his ministry, when it was at its height, because he had done what he was supposed to do he turned his disciples over to Jesus. He ushered in Jesus and prepared the way for him and now Jesus was in the world. It was time for him to bring about the salvation of humanity. And John even had the humility to decrease and let Jesus do his thing without out getting in the way. What a man that we can learn from him!. And we have a call to go out and declare the good news of Jesus and help all nations be baptized in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. May God give you peace.
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