Gospel for 20 February, 2007

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" And he answered, "No." They said to him then, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, `Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

When the important religious leaders of the dy came to John and asked who he was, they were really, somewhat snidely asking, 'who do you think you are?' No answer John could give them would have satisfied them.. So all John could say was that he was just one solitary voice crying in the wilderness. If we are faithful to proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God, we will often be challenged, threatened, perhaps even imprisoned or martyred. Be at peace, and fear not, however. That is how they treated the prophets, like John, before us. We just need to continue with our task of proclaiming the Gospel.