John 1: 1-18 - REFLECTION

The big word for John the Baptist was witness. His life's meaning was to witness to Jesus. He would search many ways for this Jesus, and knew in the end he was not himself the light others waited for but Jesus was that. He was glad to be a witness for Jesus.

Partnership and Witness - Being a Christian is being in partnership with Jesus in his saving of the world.
Pope Francis says, ‘The Church is fruitful and a mother when she witnesses to Jesus Christ.' Unless we are in friendship with Jesus and in partnership with him, Christian life is dull, sterile. What Jesus offered was first a relationship with him to John the Baptist, and also to any of his new disciples, and then to work with him.

The message of peace, justice and compassion is as relevant now as it was for Jesus. Pope Francis again: ‘We are not a ‘religion' of ideas, of pure theology, beautiful things, of commandments. No, we are a people who follow Jesus Christ and bear witness - who want to bear witness to Jesus Christ - and sometimes this witness leads to laying down our lives'. As did John the Baptist in the name of the One he not alone knew, but loved.

Becoming His Body - To want to spread the message of Jesus means wanting to receive it. Eucharist, prayer and reading the gospel are ways of deepening this message in ourselves. Can we say that these three aspects of faith will always be part of our lives? Then we may become what we receive and read:
the body of Christ today.