Matthew 11:11-15

Jesus said to the crowds:

“Amen, I say to you,

among those born of women

there has been none greater than John the Baptist;

yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 

From the days of John the Baptist until now,

the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,

and the violent are taking it by force. 

All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 

And if you are willing to accept it,

he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 

Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I trust in your providential care over me. You know all things and how my life will go. I want to be with you for all eternity and desire to know your holy will. Guide me and strengthen me today.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Natural Greatness: During the season of Advent, the Church often invites us to contemplate the figure of John the Baptist. In the Gospel, we hear the words of Jesus to the crowds about his cousin and forerunner. He begins by pointing to the natural greatness of John: “Among those born of women, there has been none greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). He was a man of many talents. He had an iron will: he lived in the desert, practiced extreme asceticism, and resisted any temptation to a comfortable life. He was fearless: he called the people to repentance, challenged soldiers to be just, exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and did not hesitate to call the king to repentance. His preaching was like fire from heaven. And yet with all these qualities and success in bringing the people to repentance, his humility was extraordinary.

2. Supernatural Greatness: In the Gospel, Jesus points to another greatness, i.e., the greatness of being in the Kingdom of Heaven. We enter this Kingdom through the water and grace of Baptism. The spiritual and supernatural greatness brought about by divine grace far surpasses any natural greatness. That is why Jesus declares, “the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” John did not lack divine grace. Like Mary, John the Baptist marks the transition from the Old Covenant to the New. While Mary was sanctified at the first moment of her conception, John was sanctified six months after his conception, in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. We do not have any indication from the Gospel that John lost this state of grace throughout his entire life and up to the day of his passion and martyrdom.

3. John’s Mission: Jesus speaks today about the mission of John the Baptist. This mission was prefigured by the prophet Elijah, who called the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel to repentance. John has a similar but even greater role. He effectively called the people to repentance like Elijah. Elijah, however, was not preparing the people for the royal Messiah. After Elijah came another prophet, Elisha. After John came not just another prophet, but the Savior of the World, the Mighty One, the Messiah, the great Prophet-like-Moses. John had gathered disciples around himself, but knew that, one day, he would fade away. When he directed his disciples to Jesus and pointed to him as the sacrificial Lamb of God, John began his slow but humble decrease. This self-emptying of John would continue during his arrest, imprisonment, and beheading. The prophet Elijah pointed forward to John, and John, in his preaching and passion, pointed forward to Jesus. In our day, John continues to point us to Jesus as we look forward to Jesus’ second coming.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, like John, I must decrease and you must increase. I want to be truly humble so that you are glorified in all that I do today. All that is good in me, I recognize as a fruit of your goodness and grace. May I always collaborate with your divine grace!

Living the Word of God: What does the contemplation of John the Baptist’s life inspire in me? Is it his asceticism – such as his fasting and abandonment of earthly comforts? Is it his fearless preaching of God’s Word to all – to soldiers, Pharisees, and commonfolk? Is it his humility or patient suffering? Is it his readiness to die for Christ?