By the anointing with oil and Spirit of God, we become his sons, daughters

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Memorial of St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the church, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ “Telling it like it is” is one of the main tasks of the scriptures.

And God definitely “tells it like it is” to Jacob (“O, worm“) and Israel (“O, maggot“).

He never flinches. He never minces words. He tells them who they are and who he is.

And he tells of the power of God, and all that it could and would do for them; he tells how he could and would save them, and he tells of his power to transform the earth and everything in it.

He tells all of this and more so —

“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.”

+ And Jesus does some telling, too, just like it was.

He proclaims with such clarity just who this John the Baptist is, and exactly his role and purpose.

In typical Jesus style, he sets things straight and is able to compare and contrast and call others to see and hear what is happening, and what is coming about.

And as far as John goes, Jesus reveals plainly that on one level, no one compares to John —

“Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist.”

Definitely, John was the “cream of the crop.” And yet Jesus also declares that on another level, “the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

And Jesus further makes it perfectly clear that, “the times — they are a’changin’.”

He calls all to see the violence, the violent; and the forces, prophecies, sacred law, “Elijah-like” John, and the need to have ears that can and ought to hear.”

For John has something mighty important to say, and someone very important to introduce.

There is history in the making!

And as we read all of this that took place back then, we are being called, too.

We are being called to see our place in the kingdom of God, and who and what and how we are in that kingdom.

And in a very specific and defining way, we are called to appreciate especially who we have become.

By the anointing with oil, and the anointing with the very Spirit of God, we become sons and daughters of God.

And so Jesus said it to them, and he also said it to us, “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Do we hear?

Can we hear?

Will we hear?

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Father Perry Dean Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com.