Bright Saturday.
Bright Week. No fasting or abstention from foods.
Acts 3:11-16; John 3:22-33
Read John 3:22-33
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
Even though it can be difficult for the audience to recognize the difference between the first and second violins of the orchestra, it is only the first violin who is typically referred to as the concertmaster, and it is only first violin who strides across the stage after all the rest, who tunes the orchestra, and is allowed to shake his or her hand, when the conductor strides out. People tend to notice and remember only the first violins, while they underestimate everyone else playing just a supportive role. Most of us are trying to become the concertmasters of our lives, not being satisfied with any secondary position even if it is subservient to the Lord and Master of our lives (Prayer of St. Ephrem).
Challenged by his followers who worried that their rabbi might eventually become abandoned, neglected, and unjustifiably forgotten, John the Baptist clearly expresses that he has a mind above that, selflessly demonstrating a great sense of loveliness and humility. He assured his disciples that he is happy with not playing the leading role, since he was called to fulfill the subordinate task of being merely the forerunner for someone much greater to come.
John the Baptist does not compare himself to a bridegroom but rather to the friend of the bridegroom, whose intermediary and subordinate role at any traditional Jewish wedding was very well known and easily recognizable by any of his contemporaries. The friend of the bridegroom acted as a liaison between the bride and the bridegroom, making all necessary arrangements and sending all the invitations for the wedding. He is the one who introduces the bride to the bridegroom and presides at the wedding to the point when the newlyweds retire for the bridal chamber. As soon as the friend of the bridegroom makes sure that the married couple enjoys its privacy and recognizes the voice of the bridegroom, he immediately fades away from the centre of the picture, rejoicing that his task is now complete.
According to the Jewish understanding, God Himself was the Bridegroom, while the people of Israel (and subsequently the New Israel or the Church) was the bride. Therefore, the role of John was to announce the invitation to those seeking that intimate relationship with the incarnate Son of the living God. He introduced the newly converted and baptized to the Messiah and made sure they are enjoying their newly established bond. After that, his mission is accomplished, and it is time for him to decrease, while it is Jesus’s turn to increase.
In our lives we can also encounter deceiving sympathy on the part of our friends or relatives making us feel sorry for ourselves or believe that other people take advantage of us while we deserve something much greater. Nevertheless, we should not be ashamed or disappointed to find out that God has prepared for us a subordinate task as it was in the case of John the Baptist. After all, we do not necessarily have to be heartbroken if we realize that certain things are not for us, and it will save so much resentment if we happily and readily accept what God has prepared specifically for us. There are no low aims in God’s plan for me. Any task done with God and for God is inevitably GREAT.