violent men seize it. Up to the time of John, there was only prophesy: all the prophets and the Law; and if you believe me, John is indeed
that Elijah, whose coming was predicted. Let anyone with ears listen!
Reflection:
John the Baptist holds preeminent place among
those born of a woman. Jesus acknowledges this as much.
After all, it takes extraordinary spiritual strength to cede the
limelight to an upstart who comes from nowhere and
asks to be baptized by him. The greatness of John lies
in his mastery of the virtue of humility. He knows when
it is time to go having done his part successfully. That
is the best way to exit. But surprisingly, the least in the
kingdom of heaven is way far greater than John. This is
surprising. It seems that the honor one gathers here on
earth pales in comparison to the honor one gets in heaven.
And why is this so? For even if John is an exemplar of
humility, those who are in heaven are masters of the
virtue of charity. And as St. Paul affirms in his letter to the
Corinthians on his definition of love, the greatest among all
the virtue is charity.
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