Thursday January 4, 2018
How hard was it for John the Baptist to lose his disciples to Jesus? We would not really know. But what we do know is this: that John knew fully well that he was only a sidekick, and Christ was the hero; that his role was to prepare the way for the Lord, direct people to Christ, and withdraw himself to the margins. He played his role to perfection; and from the lack of evidence to the contrary, he seemed to have enjoyed it as well. Once I came across a wonderful young man in whom I sensed seeds of vocation to priesthood or religious life. I requested his mother, a practicing Catholic, to encourage the young man to consider those vocations. But she said, “Oh, no, Father. I want to have grandchildren.” If you are a parent, how easy or difficult is it for you to give your children up to Christ? If you are a priest or religious, how enjoyable or painful is it for you to work on the margins letting Christ take the center stage? If you are a youngster, how willing are you to let Christ claim your life?How hard was it for John the Baptist to lose his disciples to Jesus? We would not really know. But what we do know is this: that John knew fully well that he was only a sidekick, and Christ was the hero; that his role was to prepare the way for the Lord, direct people to Christ, and withdraw himself to the margins. He played his role to perfection; and from the lack of evidence to the contrary, he seemed to have enjoyed it as well. Once I came across a wonderful young man in whom I sensed seeds of vocation to priesthood or religious life. I requested his mother, a practicing Catholic, to encourage the young man to consider those vocations. But she said, “Oh, no, Father. I want to have grandchildren.” If you are a parent, how easy or difficult is it for you to give your children up to Christ? If you are a priest or religious, how enjoyable or painful is it for you to work on the margins letting Christ take the center stage? If you are a youngster, how willing are you to let Christ claim your life?
