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Jesus, I trust in you!
Last Sunday, we met St. John the
Baptist who preached in the desert of Judea. Today, we meet him in prison. He
was imprisoned because he told King Herod that it was not right for him to take
his brother’s wife. He who once preached under the desert sun now finds himself
in the darkness of a dungeon. He who walked freely in that immense desert space
now finds himself detained within the limited space of a prison cell. It was in
that dark and small prison cell that he heard of the works of the Christ. It was
from that dark prison cell that he sent word to Jesus: “Are you the one who is
to come or should we look for another?”
The question of St. John showed
hope amidst sorrow and darkness. To this hope came the Lord’s response: “Go and
tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have
the good news proclaimed to them.” Christ’s response brought to John great joy
even as he was in prison because the signs that Jesus referred to were the
signs of the nearness of God: “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm
the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong,
fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense
he comes to save you! Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of
the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like the stag, then will the mouth
of the mute will sing.”
For someone in prison, the
nearness of God brings great joy. It was an assurance of vindication (pagsanggalang;
pagtatanggol). He has not forgotten the prisoners who were remembered by
nobody. The Lord remembered and has come to save us. His coming is a promise of
liberation. He is here, freedom is so close to us. The prison may be dark, but
we shall soon see the light. He shall set us free. The nearness of God brought
joy to John who was in prison. Soon, he will be executed at the order of Herod.
But the joy of God’s nearness would sustain him through his imprisonment and
even through his execution. He would go down to the world of the dead with the
joyful news: The Lord is here. He comes with vindication. To the souls of the
just who await their liberation from hell, John would proclaim: Be not afraid!
God is already here. With divine recompense he comes to save you!
To us who are captives of sin,
St. John repeats these glad tidings: Here is your God! He comes to save you!
Keep on waiting. “You must be patient. Make your hearts firm because the coming
of the Lord is at hand…Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates!” We are
not waiting in vain. The devil may
accuse us of our sins but he comes to defend us. He will liberate us from
whatever is oppressing us. He will give us the Holy Spirit. He will give us
faith that will enlighten our eyes. He will give us the freedom to walk as
children of God. He will cleanse us of our sins. He will open our ears to the
Word of God. He will raise us from the grave. Indeed, the Gospel shall be
preached to us. We rejoice because God is near. He is with us. There is no need
to look for another.
O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee!
