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Gospel: John 5: 33-36
Jesus said to the Jews:
“You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept testimony from a human being,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
John 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.”
The Gopel 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. The candle burns bright for over an hour before its tiny little wick runs out, disappearing into a small silhouette of smoke.
It’s such a simple object, but that candle teaches us several lessons about the life of John the Baptist, whom Jesus praises in today’s Gospel.
“He was a burning and shining lamp,” Jesus says, “and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.”
John was like a little tea candle.
But, what exactly do John and a tea candle have in common?
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They both give off light.
The purpose of light is to guide. As the Psalmist says, “Your WORD is a lamp for my steps, and a light for my path.” John was a light, a “bright and shining lamp” who led people to Christ.
They produce warmth. The light of a candle attracts and warms human hands; the light of Christ, present in John the Baptist, warmed human hearts.
Finally, and most poetically of all, the candle loses itself in the process of giving off light. The more light and heat it produces, the shorter its wick becomes until there’s nothing left.
Like a tiny tea candle, John’s life – his ambitions, his hopes, his understanding – slowly burned away until only Christ remained. As he himself said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”
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In what ways are we like a tiny tea candle?
Do we emit the light of Christ? Do we attract others by our warmth? Above all, do we allow the Holy Spirit to melt away our plans and desires until only Christ is left?
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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Saint John the Baptist, Carlo Maratti (3) Pixaby