YOU ARE MY SERVANT, …… IN WHOM I WILL BE GLORIFIED
(A biblical reflection on the Solemnity of THE BIRTHDAY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – Sunday, 24 June 2012)
First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalms: Ps 139:-3,13-15, Second Reading: Acts 13:22-26;Gospel Reading: Lk 1:57-66,80
The Scripture Text
Listen to me. O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother He named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me a polished arrow, in His quiver He hid me away. And He said to me, “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.”
And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength – He says: “It is too light a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Is 49:1-6 RSV)
The God who made heaven and earth has a glorious plan that includes every person who will ever live. It is not hard to believe this about special individuals like John the Baptist. But the truth is that God has a specific plan for everyone. Each and every one of us has been called and given a part to play. To each an every one of us, God says the same words He said to John the Baptist, and to all the great saints: “You are My servant, …… in whom I will be glorified” (Is 49:3).
John the Baptist understood this truth. He came to it by spending much time in prayer, through which he began to take on the heart of God. As a result, when John the Baptist looked around at the crowds who were coming to hear him preach, he did not see them just as sinners who needed to be corrected, but as people who were called by God for a specific purpose.
John the Baptist spoke strong words of judgment, but they came out of his passion that no one missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime. He treated every person he saw as divinely created and therefore having great dignity, regardless of their social standing or natural gifts.
What about us, my dear Sisters and Brothers? Do we have something of John the Baptist’s passion to see everyone embrace God’s plan, or do we limit ourselves? How often do we reach beyond our comfort zones and circles of acquaintance? Do we see some people as worth our time and others not? If we spend time with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to search our hearts, as John the Baptist did, we too will be filled with God’s vision for everyone we meet. Then we will be motivated to set aside our fears or judgments and cooperate with God in lifting up other people’s vision about who they are and what they can do in this world.
Short Prayer: Holy Spirit, God, You set John the Baptist’s heart on fire to bring all men and women to know the Father. I know You have a plain for my life, just as You did for John the Baptist. Come, Holy Spirit, reveal Your plan and empower me to fulfill it. Amen.
