Whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. – Matthew 11:11

Once upon a time, there was a lump of clay who was not satisfied in being mediocre. Deep within his heart of clay, he knew he was destined for greatness.

       He prayed, “Lord, make a way for my dream to come true!” Suddenly, a hand grabbed him and put him in a container that went through a clay sifter. He spun around on a turnstile where he was pressed and pressured on every side. Then he was placed into a hot oven where he was cooked. Afterwards, he was laid on a table and painted with various colors and designs. Then the Man who subjected the lump of clay through all these, smiled, sighed and said, “My dear lump of clay, forgive me for the pain I caused you. But look at you now — you are a uniquely beautiful and exquisite jar. From a lump, you are now My masterpiece.”

       Friends, if you’ve been going through a lot, don’t ask why. Instead, ask, “Why not?”

       Accept God’s will with humility and openness because your true greatness will be revealed in His Kingdom! For God has a plan for us — to make us His Masterpiece. Obet Cabrillas (kpreacherobet@gmail.com)

Reflection: “Accept whatever befalls you; in crushing misfortune be patient, for if gold is tested by fire, so as worthy men in the crucible of humility.” (Sirach 2:4-5)

You are the Potter, I am the clay; make me and mold me, this is what I pray: Change my heart, O God!

St. Damasus I, pope, pray for us.

One of the great lines that Blessed John Paul II repeated throughout his pontificate was, “Do not be afraid.” These are very pertinent words for us to consider. There are many doomsday-like predictions around — global warming and the collapse of the US economy, to name only two. If we focus on fear, we will miss the opportunities to love. This is why Isaiah, Jesus and many others remind us to put our fears aside and trust in the Lord and His love.

13 I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.” 14 Fear not, O worm Jacob, O maggot Israel; I will help you, says the Lord; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 15 I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and double-edged, to thresh the mountains and crush them, to make the hills like chaff. 16 When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off and the storm shall scatter them. But you shall rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17 The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain, their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the Lord, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the desert into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water. 19 I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive; I will set in the wasteland the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine, 20 that all may see and know, observe and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

R: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.

1 I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. 9 The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. (R) 10 Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you. 11 Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might. (R) 12 Let them make known to men your might and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. 13 Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations. (R)

John the Baptist has a unique role of being the one to prepare the preaching ground for Jesus’ Gospel of love and forgiveness. It is important to note that John never tries to draw attention to himself as he knows he is not the main event. He knows there is One coming after him who is far greater than he could ever imagine. Let us remember that the Gospel is never just about us and always about Jesus and His love and mercy for all people.

Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.

11 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. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. 13 All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 15 Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

think:  The Gospel is never just about us and always about Jesus and His love and mercy for all people.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Daniel 10-12

ESTEEM PEOPLE FOR THE RIGHT REASON

Here is an anecdote about George Bernard Shaw, a famous Irish playwright. The story seems fictional but the message is very true.

         A country clergyman, hearing that George Bernard Shaw was an expert in brewing his particular brand of coffee, wrote to ask him for his recipe. Shaw obliged, adding as an afterthought that he hoped the request was not an underhanded way of obtaining his autograph.

         In response, the clergyman cut Shaw’s signature from the letter, returned it with a note thanking him for the coffee recipe, and concluded: “I wrote in good faith, so allow me to return what obviously you infinitely prize, but which is of no value to me, your autograph.”

         As the playwright in our story valued his autograph for the wrong reason, so did the people of Jesus’ time esteem John for the wrong reason. They looked at him as a hero, a fiery preacher, and an ascetic with a distinctive fashion style. He wore camel’s hair with a leather belt and had a unique diet of locusts and wild honey (see Matthew 3:4). He was a prime candidate for the role of the long-expected Messiah. Long after John the Baptist had died, a group called the Anabaptist held his memory as sacred, even pitting John the Baptist against the disciples of Jesus.

         In the Gospel today, Jesus tried to explain that John’s greatness was founded not so much in his peculiar exterior but in his interiority, in his personal holiness, in his determination in renouncing what is sinful, in his passion in declaring what is contrary to God’s moral code.

         In our celebrity-obsessed culture, let us allow the real John the Baptist to bring on the triumph of substance over style, of integrity over image, of value over convenience. Fr. Joel Jason

REFLECTION QUESTION: How is your heart getting ready for the coming of the Lord?

I lay bare my heart and soul to You, Lord, ready to receive You and allow You to make Your dwelling in me.