“Then the Lord said to me,"What they have said is well said. From their own brothers I shall raise up a prophet like yourself; ” Deuteronomy 18:17-18
From the moment man committed sin, he lost the greatest gift he had - the presence of God. In answer to his yearning, God visited man once again through Jesus Christ. He is the True Prophet, the New Moses, the One who spoke for God and revealed the Father's heart in all fulness. In Him alone can we find the words of Eternal Life.“I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11
John’s baptism with water signified the cleansing of those who listened to his preaching and wanted to change and live new lives. But the baptism of Jesus was to be something infinitely more powerful. He was to baptise those who came to Him with the Holy Spirit and fire. Baptism with the Holy Spirit, which would give them life everlasting, and baptism with fire, which would set their hearts afire with the love of God. John too, longed for this Baptism from His Maker, Jesus Christ.“I did not know him myself, and yet my purpose in coming to baptise with water was so that he might be revealed to Israel.’” John 1:31
The revelation of the Divinity of Jesus Christ was a mystery hidden since the ages began, and it was to be revealed in public to the world at the Baptism of Jesus at the River Jordan. The Baptism of Jesus at the River Jordan was an event of such great significance that if we carefully meditate on all the details of this event, we cannot help proclaiming with John, “I have seen and I testify that He is the Son of God.”“John witnesses to him. He proclaims: 'This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.” John 1:15
John the Baptist was sent by God into the world with a very specific mission: he was to be the forerunner of the Christ, the Son of God. The forerunner’s witness was very crucial indeed, since the most important moment in the history of mankind was to take place - God becoming man. All those who paid attention to this faithful witness became believers of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who was close to the Father’s heart before the ages began.“It was of him that I said, "Behind me comes one who has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.” John 1:30
John’s witness of Jesus could be summed up in the above words, “He existed before me.” These words were a clear reference to the Divinity of Christ. In spite of such a powerful witness, very few people believed that Jesus was God. As the Bible said, they preferred darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. They had worldly things to pay attention to, and the Good News was so not important for them.“John answered them, ‘I baptise with water; but standing among you - unknown to you - is the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandal.’” John 1:26-27
John baptised with water for repentance; the One who was to come after him was to baptise with the Holy Spirit. Only the ones who were specially chosen by God could recognise the Messiah. For this reason, John strove with all his might to bring his listeners to repentance for their sins - repentance alone would open their eyes to recognise the glory of Jesus.“ So he said, 'I am, as Isaiah prophesied: A voice of one that cries in the desert: Prepare a way for the Lord. Make his paths straight!' ” John 1:23
It is said in the Bible about John that he spent his youth in the desert, praying and waiting for God's revelation of what he was to do. What a great example John is for all of us, to ask God for light on our unique mission! In answer to his prayer, God spoke to John through the Scriptures, so that he was able to answer those who came to him, 'I am, as Isaiah prophesied, a voice of one that cries in the desert.'“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, Who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead of Him, He endured the Cross, disregarding the shame of it...” Hebrews 12:2
Do we often feel overwhelmed by our daily trials? Are we tempted to run away from our present sufferings? Look at Jesus on the Cross - just one glance with faith is enough. How much Our Lord loves us! In perfect humility, He bears all our pains and sorrows on the Cross. So, with renewed faith, let us fix our eyes on the Crucified Christ, who will give us the grace to endure all suffering.“We are waiting for Yahweh; he is our help and our shield” Psalm 33:20
The Psalmist was a man who experienced tremendous trials throughout his life. However, his unfailing trust in the Lord sustained him in the midst of all these trials. How can we become like the Psalmist? The answer is very simple: by looking at the Lord with love and trust! If we do so, we will also be able to say: O Lord, you are truly our help and our shield!''Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ '' John 19:26
There are times when only a Mother's presence can solve our problems. By her love, gentleness and compassion, Mary attracted millions of native Indians into the fold of Her Son. Today we remember our Lady, patroness of the Americas, who revealed herself to Juan Diego as the ever Virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God and Creator of all things, whose heart beats with unspeakable tenderness for those who suffered.