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| Image courtesy of Koratmember of freedigitalphotos.net |
Expectation is one of our most profound habit in life. Whether we accept it or not, we always expect something to be given back to us - loyalty from our friends, a bonus or a promotion as reward from our work, complete obedience from our children. In everything we do expect something that must be in accord with what we want whether it is reasonable or otherwise.
In my morning prayer today, I read a book of a selection of homilies given by Fr. Johnny Go in his book 50 Something. I found a very apt reflection for this season of Advent. In the Gospel of St. Matthew 11, we were being invited to reflect and learn about St. John the Baptist's own expectation of the Lord. As Fr. Go said, "They were reasonable expectations especially with what he had done for the Lord. But as it turns out, even prophets don't always get what they expect."
The beauty of this reading is not on what was written but on what was not written - the message intended by the author of the gospel.
There are two main things to consider: First, John the Baptist had openly declared Jesus as the Lamb of God when he saw him approaching the river where he was preaching. Second, he even told his disciples that the one more worthy of him is Jesus whom two of his followers, Andrew and John, accepted and had followed Jesus as a result. This is also what he preaches and he is very clear on his mission - that he's only to prepare for the coming of the Messiah.
If John the Baptist is so convicted of his mission and he knows who Jesus was, then why does he have to send messengers to ask Jesus "Are you the One who is to come or do we have to wait for another?" Such a strange question from a man who is very sure of what he preached.
Or then, maybe, what John sent Jesus was a very subtle message of what he expects from the Lord to do for him since he is languishing in prison at the time. Does he expects that the Lord will set him free? We all know that this is not what happened. His expectation was not what he got. God has other plans for him, which, maybe he had not understood at the time.
In the world we live in, always things will not turn out the way we always expect it to be. Even with people whom we relate to. We must not expect too much but try to learn to appreciate whatever or however things may turn out to be. Most often our prayers are not answered the way we want them to be answered.
As an old saying goes, "Let go and let God." Even without understanding.
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Reading: Matthew 11:2-11
Fr. Johnny Go's Website: www.jcgosj.com
Fr. Johnny Go's Website: www.jcgosj.com
Image: FreeDigitalPhoto.net
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