Selfless Mission!

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Is 41: 13-20; Mt 11:11-15

Today’s Gospel highlights the selflessness in both Jesus and John the Baptist. 

There is a story that explains the importance of selflessness for discipleship. 

A disciple of the great philosopher Socrates once asked his master, ‘Sir, why do you tell all who wish to become your disciple to look into this pond and tell you what he sees?’ Socrates replied, ‘That is very simple. I am ready to accept all those who tell me they see the fish swimming around in the pond. But those who see only their own image mirrored in the water are in love with their ego. I have no use for them.’

Reading today’s Gospel, we find Jesus and John the Baptist reflecting the spirit of the story. 

Jesus and John were selfless in carrying out their mission, and they had mutual admiration for each other. 

While we find John the Baptist humbly accepting the role of being Jesus’ forerunner, Jesus, who came to offer himself for the salvation of the world, chooses to be baptized by John.

While Jesus proclaims the greatness of John in today’s Gospel, John the Baptist acknowledges the greatness of Jesus at his baptism in the river Jordan. 

Jesus and John were both prophetic and radical in carrying out God’s mission, which eventually led to their deaths. 

They distinguish themselves as God’s servants in and through their selflessness. 

Let us pray that selflessness may become our identity so that we carry out God’s mission more efficiently. 

Today, we also celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is the patroness of all the Americas, including the natives, the Mexicans, and the Mexican-Americans. However, devotion to Our Lady transcends physical borders, and therefore she is the mother of all! 

As we celebrate the feast, what we cannot overlook is Mary’s choice to appear to the native Juan Diego in December 1531. In Mary’s apparition, we can see God’s preferential option at work. By appearing to Juan, who represented the varied peoples who suffered under the scourge of the Aztec religion, Our Lady of Guadalupe sends out the message that ‘The role of the powerless is to evangelize the powerful.’ We celebrate the fact that Our Lady empowered the marginalized to be the heralds of the Good News!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar