advent - john the baptist
DESCRIPTION
A Reflection by Fr. Robert Maloney, CMTRANSCRIPT
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Advent John the Baptist
A Reflection by Robert P. Maloney,
C.M.
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A rich cast of Advent characters appears on the gospel stage.
In this presentation we focus on
John the Baptist.
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Jesus called John a “brightly shining light” and declares that he was the
greatest person history had ever seen.
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John focused his whole life on the coming of Jesus - the Advent secret.
He realized that his all-consuming vocation
was to prepare the way of the Lord.
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As Vincentians we dedicate our whole lives to following Christ the
Evangelizer of the poor.
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We seek to imitate his five missionary virtues:
1. Simplicity
2. Humility 3. Meekness
4. Mortification
5. Zeal
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Do we meditate on the person of Jesus daily?
Do we see him in the starving people, the street people, the victims of violence in our
world?
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John the Baptist’s life makes it very clear that the following of Christ involves a demanding
asceticism. He knew how to speak the truth even when it cost dearly.
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St. John the Baptist With the Scribes and Pharisees by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, c. 1665
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John the Baptist makes it very clear that we will live genuinely for Christ only if we are willing
to die for him.
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For us, John’s asceticism might be:
• Rising early to praise God
• Employing moderation and a critical sense in using television and other media
• Withholding divisive words and negative criticism
• Working hard for the poor
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Adapted from text by Gail Rieth, RSM
c. 2006
For the full text of this letter and Fr. Maloney’s other writings visit the
Vincentian Encyclopedia