What is the mightiness John the Baptist proclaims in this Sunday’s Gospel when he says: “One mightier than I is coming after me.” John himself is mighty; spiritually and morally. He’s able to withstand imprisonment and torture by the ruling class. They inflict these because of his criticism of them. What makes Jesus mightier? Jesus is mightier because he too is truthful with the ruling class and also because he creates something new to replace them and their system. Perhaps part of the ‘might’ difference in the Gospel is the difference between the shorter-lived strength of reformers who criticize and the enduring strength of visionaries who actualize.
John’s ministry is concentrated on sin. He points out what’s wrong with people and their culture. Proclaiming boldly what’s wrong is important to stop personal pain and social ills and thus change society. (It’s intriguing to ponder if the same people heralding John the Baptist this Sunday complain about Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton the rest of the year.) Can we be as bold about taking the action needed to create what’s right? In the U.S. presently there are so many things that are wrong and common people need the strength to speak the truth about it. A burgeoning neo-Nazi movement needs particular criticism. All the more so, amidst this increasing pain we have the power to inspire the creation of something new to replace it. Etty Hillesum (1914-1943) is a woman declared a saint whose feast is celebrated this week. She was a Christ conscious Jew living in Nazi Germany. She combined a criticism of what was wrong with a hopeful vision of what was right so as to inspire: “I wish I could live for a long time … (but) if I am not granted that wish, well, then someone else shall perhaps do it, carry on from where my life has been cut short. And that is why I must try to live a good and faithful life to my last breath; so that those who come after me do not have to start all over again.”
We stand on the shoulders of giants, mighty women and men who have had the courage to speak the truth about what is wrong and the inspired vision to create all that is right.
Prayer: Spirit of Truth, renew in our hearts the power to transform the world.
Question: How do I combine truthful mission with creative inspiration?
December 7, 2014 Gospel Mark 1:1-8 Second Sunday of Advent