2nd Sunday OT, Year A
Fr. Albert
St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. That is what we celebrate today: Ordinary Time. After several weeks of Advent and Christmas, and just before the even longer period of Lent and Easter, we have this chunk of time that we call “Ordinary.” Why? Is it just that, besides Christmas and Easter, the rest of the year seems plain? “We don’t really have a great name for this, so let’ s just call it ‘ordinary’.” Not quite.
You see, when the Church uses the word “Ordinary,” it does not mean it in the sense of plain, or not exciting, or nothing special. Instead, we’re thinking of the real root of that word: Order. Order in both the sense of being structured and ordered and in the sense of giving directions. In fact, in the book I use for mass, there is a part called the “Ordinary of the Mass.” That refers to all the stuff we use at every mass; the basic structure or outline that keeps everything organized, flowing well, and in order. It is the same with the term “Ordinary Time.” Now that we have remembered the beginning with Christ’s incarnation, we move into the overall structure of our faith, the day-to-day of the Christian vocation.
Now the readings of Ordinary Time take us through the Gospel to show us Christ’s life. They are also designed to give us a sense of what it means to gradually progress in our own faith; in understanding who Jesus Christ is and what that means for my life and for the world. Thus, we use the color green – a sign of growth. So we begin with John the Baptist announcing his discovery of Jesus as the Son of God.
“I did not know him.” Twice John the Baptist makes this statement about his own personal awareness of Jesus. It is a bit odd, considering that he is related to Jesus. We can also remember that, as an infant, John leapt in his mother’s womb during the visitation when a pregnant Mary greeted a pregnant Elizabeth. How did John not know him and why does he tell us this twice?
As usual, there is both a practical and a deeper spiritual way to read this passage of scripture. The practical reason for John’s ignorance is that he grew up basically as a hermit in the desert. He probably hadn’t seen Jesus in decades and was unable to recognize him on sight. And the reason he made it such a point to tell us this is probably to avoid any appearance of nepotism. He is reminding people that he has simply been following the divine commands given to him; that he did not plan to set up his cousin as the messiah. Like everyone else, John the Baptist only comes to know Jesus because God chose to reveal him.
The spiritual reason for including this detail in the Gospel is tied to those practical reasons. John the Baptist is a kind of model for us all. Not that we all have to go live in the desert, but in his example of following God’s commands, of looking for the messiah, and of announcing him to the world once he was found. There is an order, a progression to the faith that John the Baptist is modelling for us here.
John’s own faith, like ours, starts with some form of ignorance. More importantly, it was a an ignorance that was searching, that was open to learning the truth and ceasing to be ignorance. John the Baptist knew the messiah was coming, but he had to learn that that Messiah was closer than he had thought; that he was already family. Often, our own ignorance of the Lord blinds us to the ways he is already close to us; to the ways that God is present in friends, family, coworkers, or the poor among us whom we can love and serve.
John the Baptist spent his life in the desert listening to God, coming to know him better and always looking forward to knowing more, to discovering more. “I did not know him.” Even as Christians we can say this in some way. How many people in this world have a false idea of Jesus? How many of us are too complacent, too comfortable with what we’ve already learned? Is our relationship with God, with Jesus Christ, an ongoing relationship? Or is it more like a fond memory of a friend?
John the Baptist was also obedient. Though ignorant of the details, and probably sometimes irritated by that fact, he did what God asked of him. He obeyed the command given before his birth that he would avoid alcohol and strong drink. He lived an austere life and prayed constantly. Then, when the Lord sent him to start preaching to anyone and everyone, to baptize them for repentance, he did it. He was not told how long it would take until the Messiah would show up. We know that, by the time of Jesus’ arrival, John the Baptist was well-known enough to make it into history books, so it must have taken a little while. Do you think he got impatient? Or wondered if he had made a mistake? So it will be with your own vocation. Discerning God’s will can take time. Living out God’s will in marriage, priesthood, or religious life in an ordinary and consistent way will take even more time. But perseverance is the name of the game.
So John the Baptist persevered in his vocation; then it finally happened. Jesus Christ came to him for baptism and the Holy Spirit descended upon him. Finally, John’s searching and obedience were rewarded with a greater knowledge of his God and savior. But his mission did not end with simply discovering Jesus Christ. No, that only began the stage of proclaiming him even more directly. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Even now, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, we see the shadow of the cross. Jesus is the paschal lamb, the sacrifice that saves from sins. And John himself does not stop his own ministry, does not end his own vocation until he completes it with his death at the hands of Herod.
And what of you and me? Have we honestly admitted to ourselves that we don’t know Jesus fully? Do you search for him? Make time for silent prayer, for listening. If you want to find him, or discover your vocation, begin with obedience to what God has already shown you in the Church. Then, when you do have a new epiphany, a deeper grasp of your savior, your faith, your vocation, do you share it with others? Do you proclaim the Jesus who saves from sin? The Jesus who dies on the cross for us? Or do you settle for the false Jesus of self-affirmation and simply being nice?
The ordinary demands of the Christian life can be difficult or maybe just boring, but they bring genuine growth and, ultimately, true joy. As we move into this rhythm of ordinary time, resolve to enter more deeply into your own vocation: student, single and discerning, married. John the Baptist was a priest who died defending the dignity of marriage. When he says “now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God,” he is not just referring to his words, but to a way of life and a way of dying. His mission was not just a few key moments and major decisions, but also the ordinary and daily decision to keep living out what the Lord had asked of him. So it should be with us.