John the Baptist – Writing to Pray

Luke 1:46-54
John 1:6-28

Today’s readings introduce many of the people and characters who will play a role in Jesus’ life-story. The Levites and Pharisees ask John if he is Christ, the Prophet or Elijah and Mary’s words at the Annunciation are used for our responsorial psalm. These six characters are now on stage. While Jesus is not on the stage, He is the reason everyone else is, and consequently present as well.

Many psychologists teach the objects and people we encounter in a dream represent various aspects of ourselves. While the Bible is not a collection of dreams, nor would I ever knowingly cheapen, disrespect or disregard scripture in any way, we can learn about ourselves as creatures of faith if we occasionally approach the people in it as if they are characters in our dreams. I am proposing to explore these individuals in this way as an exercise of intellect, prayer and intuition.

Part I

Rev. Robert Haden, author of Unopened Letters from God, (*a) suggests when we work with our dreams, we write down three words to describe each character in the dream, quickly. We then ask, “In what ways am I like that?” As a writing to pray exercise, jot down three adjectives for each of seven characters in the passage and then respond to the question.

Part II

The context of each person’s role also suggests questions of their own.

John- Jesus and John are cousins, their respective mothers close. Given this, it is possible John knew Jesus quite well prior to his desert ministry and Jesus’ baptism. When John says, “One greater than I is to follow me,” does he know he’s referring to his cousin or is he surprised? When have I been surprised by the special and unique nature of others whom I think I know well?

Mary- It seems the Lord likes to turn things upside down, do the unexpected, reverse expectations (*b). Throughout the Hebrew Bible, older women, barren and past child-bearing years, are found to be miraculously pregnant. In a partial reversal, so is Mary, but unlike the others, she is a young virgin. Do I notice pairings of events which appear opposite and contradictory but which serve to highlight parallels, corollaries and similarities? How have I been used by the Lord to turn expectations upside down?

Levites and Pharisees- While many sources differ on the details, in general, Levites were Temple priests, while Pharisees were portrayed in the gospels as strict Jewish leaders who protected covenantal law, engaging in politics as they saw fit. In this passage, both groups of religious are questioning John about his identity, but their reasons differ. Who asks me to identify myself: what are their motivations? What words do I use to identify myself?

Elijah- Elijah, a prophet, exhorted the Israelites who worshipped Baal to return to the Lord God. In other words, he railed tirelessly against idolatry. Those of us living in the ‘first world’ are also faced with options to worship wealth and power, to abandon ourselves to sex and drugs, and to do whatever we want. When am I an Elijah and when a Jezebel? Have I forgotten I always have a choice, but that I may need to actively seek that nobler alternative?

The Prophet- A prophet is the mouthpiece of God, and generally encourages people who have turned away from the Lord to turn back to Him. Does God approve of what I use my words to say, or do I fall short of wisely using the gift of language? Do I teach others about God; do I encourage those who’ve turned away to turn back? Do my words correlate with my professed faith?

The Christ- The title, Christ, is the Greek translation for the Hebrew word mashiach, both meaning anointed one. Although kings, priests and occasionally prophets were anointed, most often the act designated a king chosen by God for a special purpose. What characteristics of a king (or queen) might I emulate? What are my attitudes about royalty; what does Jesus teach me about such a role?

Jesus- In this passage, Jesus is not physically present, yet He is the reason the others are speaking and doing as they are. If my life were a play, is Jesus the motivation which influences, guides and directs the protagonist (me)? Is He on stage but in the wings as a prop boy, while I demand this or that which I’ve decided is necessary to move the plot of my life forward? Or perhaps, I have thrown Him into the street, saying, “Wait your turn! The doors will open soon enough and tickets to go on sale!”

Part III

I invite you to reread your perceptions and writings from Part I and/or Part II, with a mind towards identifying and exploring repeats, threads and patterns.

References (found in this post)

*a: Unopened Letters from God, Haden, Robert. Haden Institute Publishing, 2010

*b: Women in the New Testament, Getty-Sullivan, Mary Ann. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnosota, 2001.

Tag: John the Baptist

3rd Sunday, Advent 2017