Ornaments of Grace - St. John the Baptist

And you, O Child, shall be called prophet of the Most High; for you shall go before the Lord to prepare straight paths for him, giving his people knowledge of salvation in freedom from their sins. All this is the work of the kindness of our God; he, the Dayspring, shall visit us in his mercy to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:76-79 It is Christmas Eve, and we might not associate John the Baptist with this eve, but he pointed the way to Jesus whose birth we celebrate tomorrow. He is the last of the Old Testament prophets or the first of the New Testament, reminding the people that the Lord is close. He called them to repent of their sins so as to be able to recognize Jesus when he appeared. John the Baptist insisted, when people got excited about his preaching, that he was not the light. He said he was just bearing witness to the light. A witness, in the Gospel sense, is not just someone who testifies to truth, although that is important. A witness keeps pointing the way even if it means being killed or suffering intensely for the truth. A witness to Jesus must be willing to keep pointing to the true light no matter what happens. Of course, John the Baptist like the prophets of old and our present-day prophets, was martyred for witnessing. So, on this Christmas Eve, it might be worthwhile to take a moment to reflect upon how we, as members of the Body of Christ, might also be faithful witnesses. We can think about how we can prepare the way for Christ to come into our hearts, our minds, and our world. We might not be called to be martyrs, but we are called to give our lives for the sake of the Good News of Jesus. And what is that good news? It is that our Savior has come! John did not have the perspective of history to know if Jesus was the Messiah. So, while in prison, he sent his disciples to find out if Jesus was the Messiah or if he should wait for another. Jesus answered, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them.” Unlike John, we have been offered the perspective of history; even more, we have the gift of faith to know Jesus is the Messiah. What a great gift it would be for Jesus, since it is His birth we celebrate, if we could unwrap with one another the ways He has gifted us. He has given us the chance to see Him in those around us. He has helped to open our ears to words that bring hope and life. So, let us work joyfully together to wrap our gifts for Jesus in loving actions. That way the poor, whether those without the basics of life or those who have lost the meaning of life, will find the Light of the World that John pointed to so long ago. John the Baptist is today’s Ornament of Grace. Who are the people in your life with whom you could spend some time unwrapping Jesus’ gifts to you? What are you wrapping in love to give to Jesus this Christmas?