Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Published: January 15, 2017

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor preached the following homily during a Mass to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Christ the King Church in Little Rock on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.

Bishop Taylor

John the Baptist is one of the most interesting people in the entire New Testament and he appears eight times in the Gospels read during December and January.

The story of his birth is intertwined with that of Jesus: both conceived under extraordinary circumstances — one mother a virgin, the other elderly — meaning that God had already chosen each of them for a special role in his plan of salvation.

The were relatives on their mothers’ side but raised so far apart from each other — Jesus in Galilee, John in Judea — that when they first met as adults they weren’t even aware that they were relatives.

In today’s Gospel John says: I did not know him and Jesus — who already knew about John’s ministry — never says anything about them being family. I find that very surprising, given the great importance of the extended family in that culture, plus all the work John did to pave the way for Jesus’ ministry.

Today’s Gospel contains a good summary of John’s role: 1.) to prepare the way for the Messiah; 2.) give witness to him when he comes; and then 3.) step aside in favor of him. And how did John the Baptist fulfill his role?

First, he called people to repentance. He didn’t hesitate to name and condemn the evils of his day, including the sins of the rich and powerful. In fact, that’s what cost him his head. He prepared the way for Jesus, trying to get people to reform their lives.

Second, John gave witness to Jesus once he learned that he was the Messiah, having heard the voice declare him to be the Son of God and seen the Holy Spirit descend on him like a dove: Jesus the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world.

And then he stepped aside, declaring that since Jesus ranked ahead of him, Jesus must now increase while he decreases. John was the voice in the desert but Jesus was The Word, the content that voice proclaimed — the Word of Salvation, the Word of God … in the beginning was the Word, all was created through the Word, the Word was God — John was the voice that will soon be silenced, but Jesus the Word will endure forever.

You and I have been called, like John, to prepare the way for Jesus, to give witness to him and then to let him increase while we decrease. The Reign of God proclaimed by John has already been inaugurated by Jesus but will only be fully present at the end of time.

John’s role was to prepare for Jesus’ first coming … ours is to prepare for his second coming! Meaning that we too must name and condemn the evils of our day, get people — including ourselves — to reform their lives so as to receive forgiveness from Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

And like John, we must do so humbly, not for our own glory but rather for the greater glory of God. Jesus ranks ahead of us, so he must increase while we decrease. You and I have seen and so must testify to the people of today that Jesus is the Son of God!

This weekend we celebrate the 50th anniversary of your parish. We thank God for the priests who have served here so faithfully — many of you remember Msgr. Hebert, and of course, Msgr. Malone, who is one of the finest priests I know and one of my most trusted advisors.

He has overseen tremendous growth in your parish — difficult building projects with all the fundraising required and excellent programs to build up the faith of you, his parishioners — plus hundreds of funerals and weddings and hospital visits.

And of all our priests, he is by far the most effective pastor we have in Arkansas for promoting vocations to the priesthood — what do we have? Ten current seminarians and young priests from your parish so far?

It's amazing! Monsignor, we are so grateful! You call your people to repentance, you give eloquent witness to Jesus and then like John the Baptist, you step aside to give the glory to God. We are indebted to you and grateful to you.

And what I say about Msgr. Malone applies also to you his parishioners and is a fruit of your commitment to prayer and service. Eucharistic adoration nurtures your faith and fosters vocations and carries us in the Lord's loving arms in times of trouble. I recommend it heartily, especially to those of you who do not yet participate.

Regular, committed eucharistic adoration will make a big difference in your life — and through you, in the life of others. And then there are all the prayer groups and study groups and the myriad ways that you serve the Lord here and in the larger community.

I pray that you will continue to call yourselves to repentance like John the Baptist did — confronting the evils of our day, that you will continue to give eloquent witness to Jesus with your words and actions, and that like John the Baptist you will continue to do all of this not for your own glory but rather for the glory of God!