John 5:35-36
[Jesus said about John the Baptist] "He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. But I have testimony greater than John's. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me."
One of the most beloved American Novels is F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby. This novel is a riveting story placed in New York during the roaring 20's. A powerful image that has always stuck with me from that novel is when one of the main characters Jay Gatsby, walks to the end of his dock off his grandiose mansion, and stares longingly across the water to the shining green light on the other side. This light for Gatsby represents his deepest desire, which proves difficult to satiate. What can be said of Jesus Christ is completely opposite of the fleeting green light that Jay Gatsby relentlessly chases. Jesus Christ, the deepest desire of all humanity is always present to us if we but stop and search for his presence in my life. John the Baptist functioned as a light, as a beacon to the populace in first century Judea that something greater is here, that the Messiah, Jesus Christ has finally arrived. We too standout upon our lives like Jay Gatsby and his dock, desiring more, but that desire has a name Jesus Christ and he has already entered our personal history definitively in becoming man and his victory over death, Christ is always standing with us.
Get to know our seminarians! Today's reflection was written by:
Deacon Joshua Bertrand, IV Theology
Home parish: USF Catholic Student Center / Corpus Christi
Did you know...
I grew up in rural Osceola County Florida. I attended the University of South Florida, graduating with a B.A. in History in 2012. I currently study Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
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