One day, an old monk was walking along the seashore, deep in meditation. Suddenly his eyes fell upon a huge pearl. An old woman saw him pick it up. She ran up to him and demanded that he give her the pearl. He gave it to her cheerfully and with a smile. A week later, the woman found the old monk, and gave him the pearl back, saying: “Give me that which is more valuable than the pearl. Give me that which enabled you to give me the pearl cheerfully and with a smile.â€
The old monk then told her about Jesus. He explained how Jesus came into the world to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He came into the world to forgive our sins and to bring us happiness.
This story fits well with the message of today’s Gospel, which reads: God sent … a man named John … to tell people about the light, so that all should hear … and believe.
The monk is a perfect image of John the Baptist. He did for the old woman what John the Baptist did for the people of his day. He testified to the light in the way Jesus wanted. Jesus told us in his Sermon on the Mount, “You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid…. “In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven”
My Dear Sisters and Brothers,
That brings us to each of us in this church. By our baptism and by our confirmation we have been called by God. Saint Peter explains our calling this way in his first letter to the Christians of his time, saying: “You are … God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light.”
In other words, we have been called to testify to the light, just as John the Baptist was called to testify to it, and just as the old monk was called to testify to it. We have been called to testify to it, first of all, by our example, by our life. Today’s Gospel challenges you to become for our world what John the Baptist was for his world. Saint John was challenging them to testify to the light.