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by Lito Dawa Mk. 6:14-29 
I n a marathon, participants start and finish the race in varied ways. Some start out strong and finish flat. Some start rather slow, pick up speed along the way and finish strong. Still others start strong and remain so till the end of the race.
John the Baptist belongs to the last group. He leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb during the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus. From that time on, he knew his mission of preparing the way for the Messiah.
He was brave and bold enough to proclaim the Good News even if cost him his life. He weathered all the hindrances and stumbling blocks along the way and he finished his mission very strong - he was beheaded for proclaiming the gospel truth.
All of us were called to a mission, too - to bring people back to our heavenly Father. When we decided to enter into a relationship with the Lord, it was meant to last not only for a lifetime but for eternity.
We enter into a relationship with God in various ways. Some of us came to know Him through our family, friends, acquaintances and our community. At the beginning, we were passionate to serve the Lord, even committing our whole life to Him. We prayed for miracles and more blessings. Unfortunately, when they were granted, we started to fall out in our relationship with Jesus.
In my 12 years in the community, I have seen faithful and vibrant members who decided to leave the ministry because God had granted their wishes. They met their partners in our community; they were given a high-paying job; and they were blessed with a baby, a good health and a multitude of other blessings.
These should have motivated them to serve God even more, but what happened was the other way around. Every day, we heard of their excuses like being busy attending to the blessings they received, or offering little time or, worse, no time at all to the One who provided for all their needs.
But I have also seen members who have given there all to the mission as God pours unto them His unlimited blessings.
Friends, like John the Baptist, it is the will of the Father that we carry the same faith in bringing salvation to humanity. No amount of persecution and blessings can ever stop us from continuing His mission. The question for us now is, are we for real in working for the Lord all the way or is this just a temporary commitment? God is waiting for your response!
Prayer:
Loving Father, grant us the grace to inherit the faithfulness and commitment of John the Baptist in accomplishing our mission here on earth . Amen. |
