In the gospel of today’s Mass we are on the banks of the Jordan River immediately following Jesus’ baptism (John 1:35 – 42). We hear John the Baptist proclaim Jesus as “the Lamb of God” and instruct his disciples to follow Jesus.
We might wonder how John was so “tuned in” to God’s revelation in Jesus, how it was so clear to John that Jesus was the long-awaited messiah, how John was so sure that Jesus was the one who came to sacrifice himself to save the world. What was the disposition of John’s heart and mind that allowed him to see things so clearly?
I tend to think that John possessed two key traits that allowed him to see things as clearly as he did. These would be John’s humility and his austerity.
In his humility, John was able to acknowledge the existence of God, a supreme and transcendent being who created all things and whose dominion was vast. In his humility, John was able to abandon himself to God, to place his life in God’s hands, to trust in God’s goodness and to follow the path that God set out for him no matter where that might lead.
In his austerity, John lived an ascetic life, one centered on prayer and simplicity, a life that indulged in nothing but God, a life that clung only to God and to none of those “worldly” things that might separate him from God, a life that pushed aside any distractions that might diminish his laser-like focus on God.
These two traits – humility and austerity – allowed John to discern God in all things, most especially in Jesus at that most profound moment at the Jordan River.
And of course it is the same for us. It is by taking on these two traits – humility and austerity – that we best open ourselves to God and allow God to do his work in us. A humble spirit allows us to acknowledge God for who he is – the creator of all things, the Lord of our lives, our Savior – and to place our lives in his hands. It is a humble spirit that helps us to always see ourselves as servants of the true Master, and obedient and loving children of the one true God. It is a spirit of austerity that can help us to live simple and uncluttered lives. It is a spirit of austerity that allows us to place God firmly at the center of our lives, and to be motivated and driven by only that which God desires.
So we prayerfully ask God for the grace to adopt a humble spirit and an austere lifestyle. We go forward striving to lead lives of humility and austerity so that God can penetrate our hearts and minds every day. And of course we don’t just sit on what God reveals to us and the blessings God bestows on us. Instead, we allow God’s revelation to stir us to action as we look to share our blessings and do God’s will in all things.