+ I recommend that you read up on these saints. Fascinating, and especially the incredibly non-boring life of Gregory of Nazianzus; it will not disappoint!
+ How appropriately for their saint days to be celebrated with these particular readings that speak of truth not lies. That speak of anti-Christ and the true Christ who leads us to the Father.
That focus once again on John and his deliberate, succinct and very direct statement of purpose resolving the question for the unbelieving crowd of Pharisees.
+ Do you remember when Jesus says in another place: “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”?
+ Do we accept what Jesus says here? Do we value our own baptism that much?
Do we appreciate grace flowing in and the life that the Christ has won for us, gives to us, and saturates us with way beyond what we could ever recognize or understand every day?
As we begin, on this second day of 2021, there has never been a more urgent need for followers of the Christ — the Holy One — to know who we are and why we are fellow disciples of the Lord.
Let us know this truth, live this truth, celebrate this truth, share this truth, rejoice in this truth.
2021 will be blessed by the blessing that we receive and share in and through the Christ.
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 14th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
