John 1:19-28

Reflection

John the Baptist is questioned by various people about who he is. They ask if he is the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet. Telling them he is not any of those people, they are further confused. John tells them that there is a person among them who they don’t recognize and that even John is not worthy of.

How often do we not recognize Christ in our lives? Are we willfully ignorant of him or simply don’t know who he is? The people in Jesus’ time didn’t always understand who Jesus was or even chose to ignore the fact. We can also fall into the trap of ignoring Christ or choosing not to recognize or acknowledge him – all for various reasons.

But Jesus wants us to choose him and love him, even if we don’t always understand or explicitly know how he’s working in our lives. Reflect on how Jesus makes himself present to you – small moments of grace, during prayer, through another person. Ask for more awareness of him and to always trust that he is working in your life to bring you closer to his heart.

Saint of the Day

St. Basil the Great (330 – 379) & St. Gregory Nazianzen (329 – 390)

“Troubles are usually the brooms and shovels that smooth the road to a good man’s fortune; and many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away hunger.” St. Basil the Great “Do not stop in your path, seeing that the wicked lead a quiet life; neither let your heart be troubled, seeing that the good are suffering. This is the game of life; where nothing should matter to you but the end.” St. Gregory Nazianzen