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No Man Greater

Alexander the Great

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


“Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist.” (Mt. 11:11)

This is the superlative fashion with which Jesus refers to John the Baptist. What would it mean to us to receive such a striking compliment from the Son of God?

And indeed, as today’s psalm tells us, John was “wonderfully made.” The first reading foreshadows the greatness to which Jesus alludes, and as we celebrate the birth of the Baptist, it shows us that this greatness is with John from the beginning:

The LORD called me from birth,
    from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
    and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
    in his quiver he hid me.

It would seem that John was special from the start.

Are you likewise special from the start? The answer is a resounding “yes,” IF you fulfill your destiny. Your mission as a follower of Jesus is no less great than John’s, as Jesus Himself says in the same verse in Mt. 11: “yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

All that stands between us and the same destiny to greatness enjoyed by John the Baptist, a destiny his from eternity, is our unconditional and daily “yes” to God. When spoken to God, the word “yes” is like a roller coaster car that one enters in the dark, not knowing where it will take one.

So it was for John. That “yes” brought him to a grand prophetic mission, and after that to a death tragic and gruesome, yet glorious in the eyes of God.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you do not doubt the glory of your destiny, and that you want the destiny He wants for you with all your heart. Tell Him He has free rein, a blank check to take your life wherever He wishes.

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No One Born of Woman who is Greater

John the Baptist

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


These days, we see Gospel readings about John the Baptist, the great precursor, and how he prepared the way for Jesus.

One of the most beautiful things about John the Baptist in the Gospel is not so much what he does and what role he plays, as what particular, special love Jesus loves holds for him. And how for John, his own identity really isn’t about himself–it’s about Jesus.

Yesterday, we see John answering questions about his identity. He is asked if he was “Elijah,” “the Prophet,” to which he simply answers, “No.” He responds that he is simply the “voice crying in the desert.”

Yet, in another place, Jesus says of John: “And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come.” (cf. Mt. 11:14). John says he is not Elijah; Jesus says he is. Who is right?

Well, Jesus is. But John did not see himself as a great prophet–he could only consider his own identity in relation to Jesus, not as some great standalone figure.

But Jesus is always ready to call out John’s special role, and his greatness. “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John…” (cf. Lk. 7:28)

John was very much aware of his littleness, his unworthiness to untie Jesus’ sandal straps. (cf. Lk. 3:16) But based on the way He talks about John, even leaning on the Baptist’s witness in today’s gospel as evidence for His own authority–based on all that Jesus says about John in the Gospel, when He looks at John, all He sees is greatness.

Is it possible that this is your relationship with Jesus as well? That when you come to Him, you offer Him your nothingness out of gratitude, acutely aware that on your own you can do nothing for Him and have no worth or power whatsoever? And yet, that when Jesus looks at you, all He sees is glory-bound greatness, one with an exalted eternal destiny, one who is helping Him to save humanity?

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for trust–trust in His perspective of you, not so that you will lose your humility and sense of nothingness, but so that you will more and more place all your hope for happiness in Him, in His love, in His ability to make you what He sees you to be.

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Worthy is the Lamb

Lamb

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


Blessed Carlo Acutis, the modern Catholic computer programmer with an especially deep devotion to the Eucharist, once said, “Sadness is looking at oneself, happiness is looking at God. Conversion is nothing but a movement of the eyes.”

A movement of the eyes. Jesus and St. Paul talk all about this in today’s readings. In the gospel, Jesus uses the circumstance he observes of people grabbing places of honor at a party to make this point. It is not wrong to wish to be honored. But we do not attain honor by exalting ourselves–rather, by taking the lowest place and working from there.

This is a huge irony that merits a moment’s consideration. On the one hand, Jesus actually encourages the quest for honor and greatness, by pointing out which approaches are effective in attaining it, and which are not. On the other hand, however, the means he points out for attaining greatness and honor is precisely NOT to appropriate it.

So, as we quest for true greatness and meaningful honor, how do we acquire the counterintuitive habit of looking to stay in the background? Blessed Carlo says it best. We do so by moving our eyes from ourselves–even though it is we ourselves who want to be happy–to the Person who actually makes us happy, Jesus Christ. If He is our joy, if our basis for personal security comes from Him and His love for us, we naturally want to see Him grow in our own and others’ estimation–our life becomes all about Him. And then, He takes care of the rest, including any need we have for honor and greatness. For one loving glance from Him confers more true greatness and honor than the adoring cheers of a crowd of thousands.

This is how St. Paul found His sense of personal greatness. On the one hand, in perfect line with today’s gospel, he considered himself the least of the apostles (1 Cor. 15:9). On the other hand, today we see that he is equally content with death or life, because “to me, life is Christ.” His eyes are on Christ, and so he has no complexes in his own regard. He doesn’t need to focus on building his own image.

When we fall in love with the divine greatness, the infinite mercy and tender providential care of Jesus, our own honor and greatness becomes a non-issue–a given. Because true greatness is neither a fruit of our own self-aggrandizing, nor even of our achievement. Like the theological virtues, it is a gift bestowed on us in the act of drawing near to Him who defines the stature of every created thing.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Take you eyes for a moment off your own sense of self-worth and achievement, and consider the worth of Jesus: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.” (Rev. 5:12). Consider Him glorified in Heaven for His divinity first of all, but also for His loving, merciful, sacrificial act of redemption. Then consider that, crazily, He respects you, even admires you as His Father’s great creation–even imperfect as you are. Consider that you need no other source of self-esteem. Adore Him for His greatness; thank Him for His love for you.

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