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John the Baptist fascinates me in a way. I see a bit of myself in it. A social outsaider who dresses differently than everyone else. He eats and behaves differently. As I do not have a wife (at that time it was really a disgrace), he did not graduate from any rabbinical school. He wasn’t someone important. He had no back, or, well speaking, acquaintances.
He was a freak to many people. Because who normal lives in the desert? In the desert, where no one else wants to be. In the desert, that is, wherever, there are no sparkles and emotional elation. In the desert, that is, where there is no life. In the desert, where there are no comforts, ubiquitous sand and great temperature anomalies. He is a guy who walks in camel skin, which means he doesn’t care about his appearance. He doesn’t care what other people think or say about him. He is a free man. He doesn’t care about the material condition. It feeds on roots, something we would say very cheap and simple. God is enough for his food, because it is He who gives him physical strength. It feeds on roots, which means that he is not interested in a career or applause. And yet crowds gathered around him. Despite his “quirks,” God chose him precisely to bring the world a call to conversion.
You too can become God’s intercessor, a prophet who calls others to conversion. Basically, the worse you have in life, the less you have, the louder you can be the voice of God to others. It is not, however, about actually “talking about God” and “converting” other people out loud. This is not the way. It’s about your perspective of life, which, despite all these shortcomings, quirks, desert, sees God. So de facto, it is about living your conversion.
What does it mean to convert, to be converted, to be, like John, a prophet? The answer is found in today’s first reading from Baruch (5: 1-9). Get up! Stand tall, open your eyes and see your children (cf. Bar 5: 5). It means nothing else than to stop looking only at my poverty, but finally see the good that is in me and the good that I do.
Many people today, but also myself, often do not see the good in themselves, let alone the good that they do. Or maybe it’s worth finding time today to look for your good in silence? Okay, which is my lot? Maybe I’ve said something nice to someone in recent days? Maybe I helped someone? Maybe I did something of myself that no one asked me to do? Sit down and see it. Sit down and look for your goodness, your good qualities. You have them! No, don’t pretend you don’t have them. Don’t be fooled by the false humility that tells you that you have no good in you and stuff. Do her out of spite, find good against everything, even yourself!
It is good, it is God in your life! The good you do is really God using your hands.
Another thing is to see how “ decided God bring down every high mountain, perennial hills, fill the pits until leveling with the ground, so that it can be safely walk Israel in the glory of the Lord. At the command of the Lord forests and fragrant trees will shade Israel. For he will joyfully lead Israel’s God into the light of his glory with righteousness and mercy “(Bar 5: 7-9) .
That is, try to see God’s guidance in your life today. Try to see how He guides you along the paths of life. See how many dangers it was in your life, and in fact you are still here. See how much you get each day. See that God, waking you up each morning, gives you another day to draw closer to Him. It gives you health, gives you a roof over your head, you have enough to eat, you have to wear. You have family, friends, relatives or acquaintances. See small gestures towards you. The usual everyday ones, e.g. a dinner cooked every day, washed trousers, ironed shirt. See it and give thanks, because it is God Himself who has come to you and wants you to see Him.
By seeing it all and living in this perspective, despite your poverty, your quirks, you can become God’s voice to others. And with all my heart, I wish you to be the megaphone of the Good Father!
GOD IS GOOD!
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