Word to the Wise
Saturday, January 10, 2026 - Saturday after Epiphany, or Jan. 12
[1 John 5:14-21 and John 3:22-30]"No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said I am not the Christ, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease." [John]
The words above are spoken by John the Baptist in reply to a report that he had a competitor in baptizing and that competitor was attracting a lot of people! The evangelist John, like the three other evangelists, makes it clear that John was the herald or forerunner or, the "best man" at Jesus' debut in public ministry. He was not the Messiah! The most important words in that quote are: He must increase; I must decrease.
There are many occupational hazards in formal Christian ministry. I have preached retreats for clergy as well as lay ministers all over the USA and in Canada and heard about a lot of those hazards to add to my own experience! One of the more dangerous forms is the status or prestige that can come with ordination or commissioning to public ministry. Another hazard is the belief by the minister that everything depends on him or her. "God can relax when he/she is in charge!"
As Pope Francis pointed out in his document, "The Joy of the Gospel" [Evangelii gaudium], we are all called to be "missionary disciples." We are not called to be a "Messiah." Jesus made it clear during his own ministry that ministry means humble service. In the Gospel According to John, the dramatic example of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper can serve as testimony. That example must be learned again and again by all of us in public ministry, from Pope to Sunday usher! AMEN
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