“These are the words of John, when the Jewish priests and Levites came from Jerusalem to ask him who he was. He said, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ They said, ‘Who then are you? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ They said, ‘Are you a prophet?’ He said, ‘No.’ They said, ‘Who then are you? What shall we say to those who sent us?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the paths of the LORD.’
Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.’ Now the Pharisees who were sent said to him, ‘Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’ John said, ‘I baptize with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ This happened in Bethany, where John was baptizing” (John 1:19-28). The Baptist, as the Precursor of Jesus, was greatly harassed by the People, thirsty and hungry for what He taught, because He spoke what God determined and what they needed to hear. In the same way that today, at that time, there were also false prophets and fake Messiahs. The Jewish leaders, seeing the Works that John Did for the Needy and Marginalized who were Seeking Him, Wanted to Know Who He Was, because the Population Had Him as the ‘New Elijah’ or One of the Prophets. Knowing Who He Was, He Went Straight to the Point, Saying He Was Only the ‘Voice Crying in the Desert’, in Order to Alert Everyone to ‘Make Straight the Ways of the Lord, for His Kingdom Was Near’. He Did Not Want Honor or Glory for Elijah or Any of the Prophets, He Only Fulfills the Mission of Announcing the Messiah in Fact and Law, Whose Straps of His Sandals He Does Not Deserve to Loose. John Leads the People to Conversion, Through Water Baptism and also through Repentance that Produces a Change of Life. He Also Warned Them, Saying That the Real and True Messiah Was Already Among Them. But their hard heads and closed hearts prevented them from seeing Him. Christ Jesus, the Just, Faithful, Holy and Loving God, is among us, in Body, Blood and Divinity, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is the materialization of the same Christ, consubstantial with the Father, alive and resurrected, who comes to help us in our lack of faith, insignificance, misery and stubbornness. Are you ready to receive Him or meet Him?
