“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.” John 5:35–36
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It’s true that when we have
something good, something we enjoy, something we are grateful for, we
easily rejoice in that good thing. But when the good thing we have is
replaced by something even better, we move on from the old and cling to
the new. On a supernatural level, this is what happened as people moved
from being followers of Saint John the Baptist to followers of Jesus.
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At first, many people were
content rejoicing in the “light” of John. They enjoyed his preaching and
his personal witness and saw the effects in their lives of the baptism
of repentance he offered. But as people were pointed to Jesus, becoming
His new followers, they would have been even more joyful and at peace
being with their newfound Lord. The initial transition might have been
difficult. But as they came to know the very Person of Jesus, they would
have been deeply grateful.
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The passage above points out
this spiritual principle. For so many people, “John was a burning and
shining lamp,” and his followers were very content with all that John
gave to them. But Jesus points out to John’s followers that His
testimony is so much greater.
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What was Jesus’ “testimony?”
First, He says that it is the works the Father gave Him to perform.
These were His miracles, His preaching and His personal witness of
virtue that left so many in awe. But Jesus goes on to say that the
Father has also testified on His behalf. This means that Jesus’
greatness is especially found in the fact that those who encountered Him
were also encountering the Father in Heaven Whom they do not see with
their eyes. But Jesus is clear that when they see and listen to Him,
they are also encountering the Father.
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One thing this tells us is
that we must be open to the testimony of the Father in our lives. The
testimony of the Father is accomplished by allowing our souls to truly
hear the voice of the Father speaking to us through the instrumentality
of the Son. All that Jesus did and spoke in the Scriptures, all the
graces transmitted through the Sacraments, and every encounter with our
Lord through prayer are ways of coming to know the Father in Heaven.
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Reflect, today, upon the
profound reality that God the Father wants a deep and personal
relationship with you. He wants to speak to you, reveal Himself to you
and draw close to you. Don’t allow this Advent to pass by without
prayerfully seeking out His voice, allowing Him to testify to you about
His love and care for you. The Son of God came into this world so that
He could become one with you. And through that oneness, He reveals to
you the love of the Father in Heaven.
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Most holy Father in Heaven,
I do desire to come to know You and Your perfect and intimate love for
me. Please open my mind and heart to You more fully this Advent season
so that I can turn from all fading and passing lights of this world and
come to the one and profound Light of Your loving Heart. Jesus, I trust
in You. | |
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