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Gospel: John 5: 31-47
Jesus said to the Jews:
“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept human testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John’s.
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures,
because you think you have eternal life through them;
even they testify on my behalf.
But you do not want to come to me to have life.
“I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he wrote about me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Every morning before I begin praying at my desk, I light a tea candle and place it in a stand. That candle burns bright for over an hour until its little wick runs out, disappearing into a silhouette of smoke.
The candle not only reminds me of the passage of time – and my need to use it well – but also of someone who lived his life in accordance with God’s will: John the Baptist, whom Jesus praises in today’s Gospel.
“John was a burning and shining lamp,” he says, “and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.”
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Like a tea candle, John gave off light and warmth, leading people to Christ.
And like a candle, he slowly burned away the wick of his ego, until Christ alone remained.
As John himself said, “He must increase, I must decrease.”
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In what ways are we like John the Baptist?
Do we draw others to the Lord through our light and warmth?
Do we honor the time God has given us?
Are we allowing the wick of our ego to slowly burn away until Christ alone remains?
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In the words of Saint Paul, “May God who has begun this good work within you bring it to fulfillment.”
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Image credits: (1) Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco, Johanssen Krausse (2) 96north (3) Quote Fancy