St. John Neumann 

Catholic Church

All of us, and especially young adults are in search of a direction to go, but in reality we are searching for someone to love; we are in search of a savior, i.e. Christ. Today’s Gospel tells us that what is in front of us is not as it appears, but something greater is coming. Christ may appear to us in the unexpected love we have finally encountered or in the new career pathwe have been waiting for. Even the darkest times of heartbreak, loss, financial blunder, sickness and sorrow make us thirst for the one that will bring us out all of it: a savior.

Those that were with St. John the Baptist while he was baptizing them were asking same thing we all do in our hearts: Is our present experience really true? Has what we have been waiting for finally come or will it ever come? John the Baptist’s baptism brought with it hopes of great expectations and a feeling of peace. One can only guess the shock there was when he later reveals that something better is coming. This ultimately means, as is seen on the Gospel of John, that he is not the Christ.

The greatest temptation to all Christians is a Temporal Messiah. We want a messiah that will solve and resolve all apparent issues. The new testament writers warn us of this temptation when they speak of an antichrist. What appears to us is not as it seems and whether it be good or bad, John the Baptist reveals that a greater baptism is coming. I am here to tell you that greater coming is the baptism of the Cross. The Baptism revealed by John the Baptist is one of the Holy Spirit and of Fire coming to us through the Cross.

Saint Paul teaches that our wisdom as Christians is the Wisdom of the Cross. This wisdom is folly and stumbling block to all, because Christ only gives Himself to us in and through the cross. This cross implies Jesus’ death and resurrection as Saint Paul also teaches, and while we can highlight the life-giving dimension of the cross, I must highlight to all of you my readers that this life-giving dimension implies the cross.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire comes to us through the cross. What is in front of us today,
through the expectation of greater things to come and as a consolation to what may bringing us toll is that Jesus Christ gives himself to us today in and through the cross. We are not alone, and Christ is close to us as we begin our journey in Ordinary Time. The cross will require us to look at the past and it will require us to accept the present situation and all the challenges it may bring. The cross also shows us that our present suffering is a sign that Jesus is there and that although it may not appear or we may want it as that, the cross follows us like a shadow.

Let us embrace our cross because the cross we may carry is the same one Jesus carried too. The cross is truly our joy because it is a sign that Christ is close to us. Remember that all is not as it may appear. John the Baptist reveals to us that something greater is coming.

Juan Aguacate

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