Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

 Lectionary: 205

So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?” 
And he said, “I am not.” 
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.” 
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? 
What do you have to say for yourself?”

We heard this gospel recently, on the Sunday that was Christmas Eve; and I was struck by the humor of the Levite's question, "Are you Elijah?" 

As if there might have been a fiery chariot parked on the bank of the river while several flaming horses calmly grazed on grass in a nearby pasture. 

But John skipped the opportunity and simply replied, "No." 

The next question might have been more plausible, "Are you the prophet (whom Moses promised would come?)" 

A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kindred; that is the one to whom you shall listen.

But this fellow standing up to his knees in the muddy Jordan river knew he was and what he had to do. He replied, 

“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,

‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’

as Isaiah the prophet said.”  

In the end, the greatest among us is no more than a voice announcing the coming of our Savior. No one saves themself. We can neither save ourselves nor our loved ones. Nor do we have any authority to condemn sinners and redeem saints. 

We can weep over the sins of the world, and our weeping may serve as protest against war, waste, and our mistreatment of God's gifts. Our joy, gratitude, and reverence might fascinate others so that they ask about the source of our freedom. We can express our concern for others, especially those dear to us, when they follow the ways of the world into catastrophe. But sometimes they appear completely satisfied with their godless life and our warnings fall on deaf ears. 

We can remind them that their odd decisions and peculiar way of life have no foundation in our faith or religion. The advisers they follow know nothing of Isaiah the prophet, nor Moses, Jesus, or Mary. They might know the names of some saints, since the names appear on maps and street corners, but they do not know the saints as models, friends, or patrons. And if they believe, as many do, that a new era has been inaugurated which has no roots and needs no memory of the past, we have little to say to them. Their wisdom is foolishness, as any fool can plainly see. 

The Church must witness by the purity of our hearts and the integrity of our deeds the mercy and justice of God. The kingdom appears among us, but it is visible only to those who can see an approaching fiery chariot with flaming horses -- and a rider whose name is King of kings and Lord of lords.