Scripture:
Reflection:
I must admit I occasionally find the Gospel of John difficult to comprehend. Some passages can be obscurely mystical, enigmatic, even downright Delphic. Today’s gospel falls midway between “I think I understand it,” and “what’s the evangelist trying to say?”
That is why I immediately clung to the words: “The one who is of earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.” At the risk of reading too much into that statement, I think the evangelist is referring to John the Baptist, who a few verses before, proclaimed: “He must increase; I must decrease.” Those earthly words from a very earthly man — he repeatedly said he is not the Christ — opened today’s gospel passage for me.
“The one who comes from above is above all” — this is the Logos, the Word of God, Christ incarnate. And whoever “accepts his,” that is Christ’s, “testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.”
It was John who accepted Christ’s testimony and affirmed that it is trustworthy. And it was John the Baptist who pointed to Jesus as the Messiah.
In this Easter Season, our calling is to point others to the Risen Jesus. The only way we can authentically point to the Christ, however, is to decrease so that we can make room for Jesus to increase. And in doing so, we will find ourselves in new life.
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,” the evangelist declares. As we celebrate during this Easter Season, we also celebrate our belief, our hope of new life in the one who died to death and rose to new life.
Such belief begins with the earthly words: “He must increase; I must decrease.”
Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.