One of the more popular songs this year has come from the British band Coldplay. In this song, titled “A Sky Full of Stars”, the singer croons about how someone very special shines like a sky full of stars and lights up his path. He also mentions how this person gets brighter, the darker things get and how they are so wonderful that even in a sky full of stars, he can see his beloved. It is rather catchy tune and from the description he gives, the person he is singing about must be pretty spectacular.
When I read the gospel for the weekend, I immediately thought of this song in reference to John the Baptist. Since the sin of Adam and Eve, the world had been dwelling in spiritual darkness, waiting, hoping for the messiah who would free them from sin and re-open heaven. By the time of John, the darkness had become overwhelming. The Chosen People were oppressed in every way by their Roman occupiers and things were so bad that even some of their fellow Jews were working against their own countrymen in order to make a living. The world desperately needed the messiah but it wasn’t quite ready to recognize and embrace him. To introduce the savior without warning would be blinding, like coming out of dark room into the bright sunlight. A gentle light would need to come first; starlight before sunlight.
This light was John, the last of prophets. He was the sky full of stars that would illuminate the path of all those who wanted to return to God. The darker the sins of his fellow man, the brighter John shone, pointing not to himself but to Emmanuel, who was to come very soon. John was the gentle light that enabled to people to begin opening their eyes before the full light of the Son God would shine in the person of Jesus Christ. As bright as he was, John would not be confused with the splendor of the savior, just as we would never mistake a clear night, illumined by moon and stars, as the daytime.
But this homily is not just a reflection on John the Baptist, as worthy as that would be. Reflecting on John and his relation to Christ leads us back to the same message he gave his life for, 2000 years ago. John was trying to stir people out of their comfort zones. He knew, better than most, that people have to keep growing, preparing their hearts for Jesus. His entire self was spent emphasizing the seriousness of giving our hearts, our lives to God. We can get drowsy and just drift along. We can start thinking, “well I always have tomorrow”. A person can even think, “maybe there's even another life where I can have a second chance”.
John knew that the task of turning towards God was a priority…and not something to be delayed. As one anointed by God, John calls his generation - and us - to repentance. This call to repentance is urgent because this life is the one chance we get. Jesus tells us that after death comes judgment - and that the judgment involves two possibilities: heaven or hell. I wish I could tell you not to worry, everything's going to be OK, you still have plenty of time, there will always be another chance. But if I tell you that, I would not be true to Our Lord or John the Baptist. When you hear John speak, you do not get a sense of leisure, but a sense of urgency. Consider the very first words in his public ministry, "The time has come. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel." Jesus picks up the message of John. Repent. This life is serious. It's your one chance. Take it. Prepare your heart for the Son of God. John not only preaches repentance but he illustrates how we prepare our hearts. That preparation has two steps.
The first involves giving of self. John had great talents: preaching, study, prayer, simplicity of life and fasting, and he used those talents for his people. John's investment made him the greatest man of his generation. He is the last and greatest of the prophets. Jesus says, "no man born of woman is greater than John." The Jewish historian, Josephus, has a paragraph on John the Baptist, describing him as a crucial figure. And in the Acts of the Apostles we see that he had followers as far away as Ephesus in modern Turkey. This fame indicates John’s gift of self. You and I will probably not achieve fame, but hopefully we will follow John's example of investing all of ourselves in our faith.
John exemplifies something else, a second step we must take after making the effort to give all. That step is humility. When you think about it, humility is the best gift we can give.
If I give, then start bragging or if I give with strings attached, I will cut myself off from others - and from God. John represents beautiful humility. He was the greatest man of his generation, yet when he Jesus came he said "I am not worthy to untie his sandal strap." In other words, before God, I am lower than the lowest slave. But humility is tricky business. It does not mean hiding one’s gift or excusing ourselves from sharing them. It means giving generously of ourselves then acknowledging the truth - anything you and I could give or do pales when we stand in front of Jesus, just like the night light of the stars is nothing compared to brilliance of the noonday sun.
This Sunday we see the seriousness of this life - the one opportunity we have to prepare our hearts for Jesus. And we prepare our hearts by St. John's example of self-giving and humility. Next week we will see an even greater example of humility in the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Humility enables us to rejoice always, in every circumstance. Hopefully each of us can embrace this virtue and shine like a sky full of stars to help light the path for others who want to see the Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ. May we imitate John the Baptist and become the voice of one crying out in the desert, making straight the way of the Lord.
