Fr Marco Lazzaron
o they (the Jews and Levites) said to him (John the Baptist): ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord’(Jn 1:22-23).
The curriculum vitae is one of the main tools with which you can find a job. Its aim is to present yourself in the best possible way to those by whom you would like to be hired or considered for employment. This presentation must contain not only personal data but above all the studies done, skills, and possibly past work experience. The richer and more well-compiled the resume, the more effective it becomes.
Reading how John gives his resume would be the opposite of what would be a good curriculum. John, questioned in regard to his actions of preaching and baptising, is more concerned with belittling himself than exalting his identity as the precursor.
In Jesus’ time, the coming of the Messiah, the one sent by God who would restore God’s will, was awaited. It was thought that it would be preceded by a return of the greatest of the prophets, Elijah or another great prophet. But John is not “the Christ,” nor “Elijah,” nor “the prophet.” Despite his strong preaching and the purifying gesture of baptism in the Jordan, a large crowd following him, and big fame, he does not take advantage of this to aspire to something greater. He stresses only one thing: ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord’ (Jn 1:23). His great skill is to “give voice” to a message that is not his own, not his property or his creation. He is only the voice of that message. This is what God asks of me: “to be a voice”, to “give voice” to the message of the Gospel that needs my words and gestures to be communicated.
Man has always tried to present himself by increasing his strength, his qualities, his titles, etc. Even today, none of us escapes this temptation to appear more than we are and what we are capable of doing, hiding as much as possible defects and mistakes. None of us would present a future employer with a resume with “I’m not… I’m not capable of…”, and surely he would do anything to give the best possible image of himself. This becomes even more important in the world of social relations. Sometimes, we are afraid to show our limits and fragility, and we try to appear more than we are, sometimes disguising ourselves and lying.
The third Sunday of Advent is liturgically called “of joy”, to remind us that “being joyful” is a fundamental aspect that, yes, we cannot miss in our spiritual curriculum as Christians.