A reading from the gospel according to John 5:33-36
Jesus said to the Jews:
33 “You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
34 I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say this so that you may be saved.
35 John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
36 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.”
Reflection: Light, Darkness, and Testimony
Jesus Himself acknowledged the role of John the Baptist in the history of salvation. He came to testify to the truth about the coming of the Messiah and how to prepare for it. He did not only testify in words but his life story was a testimony by itself. That is why Jesus calls him “a burning and shining lamp”. John was light to the people and some of them relished being in the light. However, many others rejected the light.
Jesus is the true light. He testified about the truth of the Father in heaven. He is the ultimate Light. Yet many of the people during His time rejected this Light and still many people today keeps on rejecting this Light until today.
Jesus is calling us to be the light to our dark world. He is calling us to testify to the Light. Like John the Baptist and Jesus Christ Himself, we may be rejected and our testimony goes unheard or even criticized but we should not be discouraged. This is our mission and we should never give up testifying to the truth about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.