These past weeks we have been celebrating liturgically various stages of the relationship God has with us. The “Initial” introduction was to Mary through an “Annunciation.”  The “Material” introduction was made at the “Nativity.”  The “General” introduction was made through the “Magi.”  The “Official” introduction was made last week through the “Baptism.”

We are praying through this liturgy with the “Personal” introduction of Jesus by John the Baptist. We are invited to begin our deepening of this ancient relationship. We pray with both our eagerness for and reluctances to, a relationship which involves our commitment to the mystery of our being loved. We pray with the awareness that God reverences our reluctance and comes close enough as only to attract us to that relationship. We have a year of time and we are always beginning and God is never-ending.

REFLECTION
Our First Reading is taken from the Second Servant Song as presented by the Prophet Isaiah. The previous verses of the chapter contain an announcement to all the distant lands that some “one” this Servant” was called by God even from the womb. The historical context for the reading and for the entire fifteen chapters which form the second part of the Book of Isaiah is the Exile or Captivity. The people of Israel were God’s servant once and now while they are exiled, a certain “one” is being called to free them.

The second part of this reading extends the embrace of God’s love beyond the people of Israel. The Magi came, worshiped and went back differently, changed. Jesus is given as light to all the nations. It is not enough for this Servant to restore Israel and the survivors of the Exile back to their land. This Servant is to extend the saving-love of God beyond all boarders. The Servant is to bring this light to all so that the glory of God may be revealed.

At the time of the writing of John’s Gospel there were parties who were promoting various candidates for being accepted as the Messiah. The Temple had been destroyed and the big question was about what was going to replace it as Israel’s center of identification.

Our verses for today’s Gospel make a strong opening statement about John the Baptist’s not being the Messiah and even a stronger statement that Jesus is the very one whom He, The Baptist, has been looking for. He is the Victim-Lamb Who is meant to take away all sins. He will baptize more than just with the water of John’s baptism, but with the creational Spirit of God’s Holy Love. The Baptist ends by making a personal testimony to which John the Evangelist invites his readers to make after reading his Gospel.   

We have three more Sundays of Ordinary Time before Lent begins on February ninth. We will be having a short introduction to the person, personality, and mission of this Jesus Who makes His personal arrival and introduction in today’s Gospel. He is the Servant Who keeps coming to identify us all as God’s Holy Dwelling Place.

We have accepted Jesus as the messiah; these next weeks begin our interiorizing the person of Jesus as more than an interesting idea. 

A few years ago I was offering some presentations on prayer to a group of Ministers. During lunch an elderly fellow approached me and asked for some private time. He closed the door of a near-by room very secretively and turning to me asked in a circumspect tone of voice, “Aren’t you making prayer a little too, well, personal?” Of course I smiled and did hear what his question was really about. God is all about us; Jesus came to make us the center of His saving love. Such statements can sound too much about us, that’s true. Some how God is suppose to be at the center of our lives, but God does not need anything from us and we need everything from God. Each of us is loved personally, intimately, and yet uniquely by God. The question remains about who is central in the experience of praying.

John saw Jesus coming toward him. John was central to Jesus’ attention and mission at that moment. At the end of today’s Gospel, John sums up his awareness; Jesus is the “son of God.” The Baptist states that he knew himself more by having Jesus making him central. By knowing himself, he knows that God is central. Not so confusing. When you are loved by somebody whose love makes you special, your response is that by your reception of that love, you want to make the other central to you by making that person special.

Jesus has been born for us; He will die for us and rise for our personal rising. These next weeks we will watch Him and listen to Him offering us love personally. We are invited to take it in slowly so that by our being specially-loved, as was the Baptist, we too will say in words and speak with our actions, that Jesus is at the center. If He is not there right now, perhaps it is because we have not allowed ourselves to be at the center of His coming towards us with love.

Is prayer too personal? I think it is for us who are frightened of giving up our being so central to ourselves. Jesus does ask for room in our lives, but our egos have had a long-term lease on that space.