Saturday, JOHN 1:19-28

When quizzed about his identity John answers all their questions in the negative, and then he identifies himself only as “a voice.” Later, Jesus would refer to him as “a lamp”: “He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light” (John 5:35).
A voice. A lamp. They don't call attention to themselves but to something else. The world says you have to call attention to yourself and become famous – a celebrity if possible. But in the spiritual life the ideal is to become invisible. The images that Jesus used, tell the same story: salt, yeast, grain, light…. He has had countless un-famous disciples, beginning even with some of the apostles: Simon,Jude, and Andrew. If the Master works in the invisible, so should the disciples, like John the Baptist.
John knew who he was in the scheme of things. He understood where he came from and what his mission was. Do we really know who we are? Do we behave as though we know? If someone came up to us and asked, would we be able to respond appropriately? I guess that for most of us the answer is "No." Or, at least, so our behavior would indicate.
Who am I? I am a beloved child of God. God loves each of us with an intensity we cannot imagine. He loves each of us as if we were His only, His precious son or daughter. We each have God's full attention for every moment of our lives.
Do we act in a way that shows this? If we lived acting in full knowledge of who we are, there could be no doubt as to the answer to all our questions. Open our hearts to become who we are in God -- a precious, well-loved child. A child loved with the fierce, devoted love of a parent who has only one. That is who we are -- son or daughter of the King. Let’s ask for the grace to fully recognize our identity and act accordingly witnessing to the nobility we inherit.