2nd Sunday of the Year (A)

References to the Sunday Readings for Your Reflection: 2014 (A), 2015 (B) and 2016 (C)

January 19, 2014
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
Psalm 40
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
John 1:29-34

"After me is to come a man who ranks ahead of me."

Humility is not an easy virtue to practice. We know this by experience. It is easier to be noisy than to remain in silence. It is easier to race to be the first in line, than to remain calm, and trust that we can be first, and will get what we need eventually through patience. And it is easier to burst in righteous anger, than to avoid the slightest annoyance or irritation that can enter and invade the heart. But even if humility may not be what the world expects of us, it can be practiced, integrated into in our work, and be used by God to influence the same on others. Evangelization by example can be produced, as long as we are aware of God's will and His grace as the source of humility.

St. John the Baptist is a good example of one who knows his place before God and those in authority. He lived and evangelized in humility. In the gospel, we read what he said:

After me is to come a man who ranks ahead of me, because He was before me.

John the Baptist had an important role in the plan of God. But He knew, like the prophets of the Old Testament, that someone is to come who will be a "light to the nations". John knew that through Jesus, "salvation will reach to the ends of the earth". He was completely grounded in the truth of his being only the herald of this Messiah.

In daily life, we may oftentimes get distracted and lose our grounding in God. When this happens, the call to be humble gets blurred, and we easily get tempted to make ourselves as the source of all right and wrong - without referring to a higher authority. There is a great temptation to be unkind to others if we are not humble and speak or act with discretion. But St. John's example in the gospel can teach us how to re-ground ourselves in what is truly the Source of Truth. When John caught sight of Jesus, he pointed out: "Look there! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John teaches us to be attentive to the presence of God, and to know where we stand amidst His presence.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
The Lord said to Israel: you are my servant, through whom I show my glory (Isaiah 49)
The Lord put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God (Psalm 40)