“It’s not about you.” Rick Warren’s opening statement in
his best-seller, A Purpose-Driven Life, challenges the rather common mindset
about life’s meaning—that it’s all in our hands, that it all depends on what we
decide to do and to become, that at the end of the day we can sing like Frank
Sinatra: “I did it my way.” On the contrary, Warren asserts that it is not
about us. Focusing on ourselves will
never reveal our life’s purpose. We have to come to terms with the truth that
we were made by God and for God—and until we understand that, life will never
make sense. God is our Creator; it is He
who set the purpose for our lives. Hence, our task is to discern this God-given
purpose and live this out in life. In this consists the meaning of life.
Today
we celebrate the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist, a very significant
person in God’s plan of salvation. Of him Christ himself said that “among those
born of woman, none is greater” (Mt. 11:11).
This is why the Church from the very beginning has given a special
veneration for him. Today’s celebration invites us to reflect on our origin,
identity, and purpose. John the Baptist is an exemplar of a man who lived a
purpose-driven life. For him, it was very clear that his life is not about him;
it is all about God and the purpose for which he was born.
The
gospel reading (Lk 1:57-66, 80) recounts John’s birth and the day he was
circumcised and given name. Contrary to expectations, he was named John and not
after his father, Zechariah. John means “God is gracious.” His name reminded
his parents of God’s mercy and kindness in given them a son as a response to
their prayers despite the fact that they were already old and Elizabeth was
particularly barren. The naming of John as such proclaimed to the people,
neighbours and relatives that the hand of God was upon the child and hence, the
child will be great. This event points to the fact that from the very beginning
of John’s existence, God was already at work with him. Or in the language of
the first reading (Is 49:1-6), John can say for himself, “The Lord called me
from birth; from my mother’s womb he gave me my name” (v. 1).
John is
only John because of God. God sees, from the very beginning, a great purpose
for this man who would be known as John the Baptist. We are who we are because
of God. And we can be assured that from the very beginning of our human
existence or even before we were formed in our mother’s womb, God has already
conceived us in Him. Hence, together
with the psalmist we can pray to God saying:
Truly you have
formed my inmost being;
You knit me in
my mother’s womb,
I give you
thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
Wonderful are
your works (Ps 139).
Embracing the
truth that God is the origin of our being and the principle of our becoming
allows us to see that indeed life is not about us. It is about God. And when we pursue life’s meaning outside what
God has intended for us, we are bound to despair. Perhaps this is what happens to people who,
despite tremendous success in the eyes of the world, still end up a mess, deeply
unhappy and unfulfilled.
For John the
Baptist, it was very clear what he was born for. He was not born for his own agenda. He was born for God’s purpose. This clarity
afforded him clear self-identity and mission. He knew who he was and what he has to do in
life. In the plan of God, John saw
himself called to become the precursor of the Messiah—the herald of the coming
of the Savior. So he went about with
authority proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. This was his purpose: to prepare the way of
the Lord, to prepare the hearts of people for the coming of the Messiah. Towards
the end of his career, The Acts of the Apostles ( 13: 25) attests, John made it
clear to his followers that He was not the Messiah. He was not even worthy to
unfasten the sandals of the One who is to come after him. John did not confuse
his identity with what people expected him to be. He led people to Jesus and not to himself. This was his God-given purpose.
Today, as we
celebrate the Solemnity of John the Baptist’s birth, let us see him as who he
was to the people of Israel then: the
symbol of repentance. Let him continue
to remind us of our need for repentance. Let us allow him to lead us to
Jesus. This is his glory: to have lived
and died as the man whom God willed him to be, to have served in fidelity to
his life’s purpose.
Today, too, is
an opportune time to ask ourselves, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this
most fundamental question in life: To borrow Rick Warren’s line—“What on earth
am I here for?” or in line with the celebration of the Baptist’s birth—“What am
I born for?”
It’s a pity to
continue living aimlessly. Without a clear purpose, we can easily be swayed by just
anything. Life can unnecessarily be complicated,
without focus, disoriented and meaningless. We have to remember that our life,
like John the Baptist, is not about us. It’s about God. God is our origin. He
gives us our identity and our mission.
He is our destiny. Hence, we cannot underestimate the importance of
discernment that we may be able to see ourselves as God sees us in terms of who
we are and what we are all about.
At this point of my life, what gives me
direction or a sense of purpose? Could this be God’s purpose for my life?
