Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
(I John 2:22-28; John 1:19-28)
Parents may teach their children that they are not the most important
people in the world. But this lesson pales
in value compared to the one that children are not even the most important
person in their own lives. With good
intentions parents sometimes tell children the equivalent of airline stewards
and stewardesses’ telling passengers to adjust their own oxygen mask before
helping their child. No doubt, that is
good advice in an airline emergency, but it should not be used to justify everyone
considering first one’s self-interest.
Both readings today advise that Christians should not consider
themselves first. They must always make
God their priority. The reading from
John’s First Letter tells the reader to remain in Christ. That is, he or she should realize that Christ
overshadows the self. Like the whole
person is greater than a leg or arm, Christ is greater than the individual
Christian. The gospel shows John the
Baptist testifying that he is not the long-expected Messiah. Rather, he is no more than a bell or siren
announcing Christ’s coming.
Today’s saints demonstrated the virtue of “Christ first.” They were friends who developed such a great
love for one another that each sought the other’s welfare more than his
own. Of course, as saints both sought
Christ’s glory as the greatest value of life.
